After thirty long hours of flying and waiting in airports, we had made it to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We did not have the opportunity to explore and see the city because we arrived late at night. However, today we were greeted by what Vietnam offers in many ways. The first way that the culture and life of Vietnam made itself known to me was through the food. We had a vast buffet for breakfast with many options that I had never had for breakfast before, so naturally, I tried all of them. I had duck on the bone, pork with noodles, and pho, all of which were phenomenal and made me extremely excited for the day. I also had the best coffee I have ever had in my life, which I have thought about all day. Then, during lunch and dinner, we got to take part in a family-style meal where everyone shared food in the center of the table, which allowed us to try so many new and amazing foods.

We were also able to really witness what life in Vietnam was like by exploring the city and interacting with the UEF students here. A lot of us joked that we thought the students here would be more serious and make us look stupid, but while escorting me up an elevator, they were all reciting the exact same dumb humor that my friends back home were reciting to me last week. This quickly allowed me to see how similar we really were, even though we are from opposite sides of the world. However, I did get to witness aspects of Vietnam’s way of life that greatly differ from that of the United States. This was very present on the roads. In Vietnam, there are hundreds of motorbikes speeding throughout the city and around pedestrians. Many of us were often stressed out just by watching them because we thought they were going to hit each other, but they never did. We also had the privilege to take part in some Vietnamese cultural practices by listening to an amazing live band, dancing to some trending music, and playing some games with the students. Overall, Vietnam was very similar and very different from life in the United States in very exciting ways.

During our day in Vietnam, we were also able to witness the great development in this nation. Everyone was very connected with people all over the world, which was quickly shown through the similarities in what was trending here compared to what was trending in the U.S. Also, when we were driving throughout the city, we were able to see electronic billboards advertising current movies, shows, products, and more. There were also many chain restaurants like McDonald’s and Popeye’s, which all looked even more modern than the ones in my hometown. All of these really allowed me to see how connected Vietnam is and how much it is growing with the overall the world around it. I look forward to seeing more and more about the culture and growth of this wonderful nation throughout our trip.