This is my final blog post for Vietnam. Today we visited a port, got a nice presentation about their operations, and a tour of the active facilities. The scale of the visit was staggering. Massive cargo ships, and container cranes were impressive to see up close. Facilities like this are what make our globalized economy possible.  

We also got an opportunity to practice our haggling skills in the Ben Thanh market. Ben Thanh is a tightly packed, tourist-populated market that was fairly unimpressive. The products on sale are of fairly poor quality and at high prices. Many stalls stock similar goods which makes extended wandering quite unfulfilling. The most interesting aspect of the market to me was the sales tactics of the vendors. Haggling is expected and encouraged, but they drive a hard bargain. I heard “You’re killing me” and “Price too low, how I feed my kids” multiple times while trying to buy simple souvenirs. Not that I was going to deprive their children of dinner, but they like to make you think so. I’m positive the sellers made a healthy profit on deals that I would like to think I haggled well on. Shopping a Ben Thanh is really more for the experience of haggling than the products (most of which you could find cheaper down the road, or on Aliexpress). I thought haggling over a dollar was fun, but I could easily see how people could hate the sales pressure.

To conclude my thoughts on the trip. What a wonderful journey this has been. Vietnam is by far the most interesting country I have had the pleasure of visiting. Tourism to Europe and South America does not compare to the culture shock of Vietnam. The food, culture, and especially traffic have all been incredibly interesting. My time here was only made better through our collaboration with UEF and free access to their wonderful student volunteers. Having local friends has been wonderful. You can pay for a lot of things that make traveling better, but locals are truly priceless. I ate many tourist-friendly meals in Vietnam, but my favorite memories will be late-night sitting on tiny plastic chairs admiring the sights and sounds of Ho Chi Minh. Even though Ho Chi Minh didn’t fully live up to my “city that never sleeps” expectations, there was always somewhere on the curb to grab a Banh Mi or bowl of snails. This trip was a constant battle to stay hydrated in the heat, but I managed. At least, now I can say “Well it was hotter in Nam”. Traveling to Vietnam has shown me many new experiences, expanded my worldview, and left me with many great friends.