When arriving at UEF for the first time we were paraded up to the main room and given a wreath of flowers as well as a student to guide us through the day. They gave speeches about the honor of this program and how meaningful this relationship between Pitt and UEF is to the schools, but also its importance to the students. Culturally, they seemed to take great pride in this event and honored us in a very special way.  Comparatively, in the United States, when I hosted foreign exchange students, we had nothing of the sort. We would meet them at our school for the first time and just talk with them. Nothing special and nothing as honoring or as meaningful as the way UEF had graciously hosted us. This welcoming made starting the trip much easier and put a spotlight on the welcoming culture in Vietnam. 

Vietnam and the US, while having a complicated history, seem to remember their history in similar ways. While touring the city, we saw a statue of Ho Chi Minh similar to the statues of past presidents in American history. Also, while visiting, Vietnam was celebrating their 50th year of reunification with posters put up around the city. This reminded me of the excitement and passion that Americans have for the 4th of July. Seeing these similarities in remembrance while having such conflicting paths was very interesting. 

A big cultural difference between Vietnam and the United States was transportation. This difference was instantly apparent when stepping out of the airport. The streets were filled with motorbikes and scooters driving everywhere. There were almost no cars on the road. As we travelled around the city going to the hotel and to UEF, the difference only became more obvious. Unlike America, where congestion is a line of cars, in Vietnam traffic consisted mostly of motorbikes driving around the few cars on the road. At first, looking out the window and seeing the motorcycles fly around the bus was scary and it looked as if we were going to hit them. While I doubt I will fully get used to streets filled with motorcycles instead of cars, I think that over time it will become a more normal experience and will no longer be something I stand in awe of.

We also were able to try a lot of new foods. Many of these foods were what I expected to try from eating Vietnamese cuisine in the United States, however prepared at a much more authentic level. The most interesting and new food I tried was the sweet soups. We had the sweet green bean soup and the sweet red bean soup. These were the most interesting foods, as I had never heard of them before and had never tasted anything similar. I am very glad I had this opportunity to explore the food and culture in Vietnam and I hope I am able to continue trying new foods and learning more about Vietnam.