Xin Chao! Once again started the day off with a bowl of pho for breakfast as usual. On today’s agenda was the Cat Lai Terminal company visit, the US Consulate, and the Banh Thanh market. Our first stop of the day was the Cat Lai Terminal. Cat Lai Terminal is Vietnam’s largest and most modern international container port, located in Ho Chi Minh City. I was particularly impressed by the efficient flow of the port, especially in terms of the flow of traffic and their use of manpower. While driving around on the tour I found that they hardly drive any differently here on the port than they do in the city. However, it’s much more terrifying when the vehicles ignoring common traffic laws are giants cranes and bulldozers instead of motorbikes and cars. Despite my fear, I was impressed with speed and efficiency that we were moved around the port. The other thing that surprised me about the port was their use of manpower. At one part of the port there was a crew of guys carrying 50 kilogram sacks of rice off of a conveyor belt. I became even more impressed by this after I failed at carrying one of the bags myself. 

Our next stop of the day was the US Consulate. At the consulate we spoke to an American economist that provided a comprehensive and complete view of Vietnams economy and goals. The thing I found most interesting was the unique value that Vietnam provides for manufacturing. With a population of 100 million, Vietnam is larger than most other South East Asian countries. Coupled with its lower wages and stable political climate it is one of the most attractive manufacturing options outside of China. The economist connected this strength to address the US tariffs predicting that they would at most slow Vietnam’s economy but likely couldn’t do much more damage since there isn’t anywhere else in South East Asia that could compete with Vietnam’s manufacturing despite the tariffs. 

Our last stop of the day was the Banh Thanh market. I think I can now say with confidence that it is one of the most stressful places on earth. Today the market was packed full of people which made the already tight walkways feel even tighter. The vendors are not shy to say the least. I found that the only method of getting from one place to another is to completely ignore the haggling vendors all around you. When I went to buy something, my strategy was to try to walk away until I got the price that I wanted. Unfortunately, I learned this strategy the hard way with a couple expensive purchases. Overall, the market was a very unique experience that I’m glad I had, but k have no desire to go back