Day 1 was an amazing experience. Sitting on the top of the bus and going through the Ho Chi Minh City tour, a lot stood out to me culturally. One main thing that stood out was the motorbikes and the roads in general. It was amazing to see the number of people that use those as a mode of transportation rather than a car. It’s as if the city is built and constructed around them. There are stoplights that are lower for the motorbike riders and roads that even split up between cars and motorbikes. At the dinner, the main thing that stood out to me was the crab. In the culture smart book, I read about the food and how chicken and pork were very popular dishes. I have now had that along with some sort of octopus or turkey at every meal. Additionally, I read about shopping and about the “Shop House” dynamic. This is exactly what I have seen here as all of the street shops and buildings are essentially built connected to each other. This is unlike America where shops are larger and more spread out. At the welcome lunch, we had lychee and coconut for dessert which I have never tried before. Today while touring Ho Chi Minh City, I noticed a lot of signs of development and globalization. There were huge skyscrapers, modern malls, and a ton of businesses like Starbucks and McDonalds that are international companies. I also saw people using advanced technology everywhere, like electric payment systems along with regular normal smartphones like we use in America. Another thing I noticed was the number of tourists as we moved more towards the inner city area and the city’s center. Also, there were different foods from around the world in the city. For example, I saw a Greek place along with a pizza restaurant. This showed me how connected Ho Chi Minh City is to other countries and cultures. When traveling abroad, it is important to understand the significance of how cities incorporate their own unique culture.
