Nothing will prepare you for your first time traveling across the globe, or how humid it feels when you first step off what feels like an eternity. At the same time, nothing will truly prepare you for how beautiful and unique the city of Ho Chi Minh is compared to everything else I have seen in my life. One of the first things someone will notice about Ho Chi Minh is the abundance of greenery throughout the city. Trees that look like they have been there for hundreds of years are sitting next to some of the busiest streets I have ever seen. Even our hotel has plants on every room’s balcony, which truly makes the city feel alive. The morning after one of the longest continuous trips, I had an amazing breakfast that differed in some ways from a traditional American breakfast. While a lot of what people would consider a traditional breakfast was included, some items, such as root water, fried fish, and gnocchi, were never considered breakfast items for me. Shortly after breakfast, I left the hotel to find a never-ending stream of mopeds going right in front of me. When I had to cross the road, it felt like I was a little kid again, crossing it for the first time without my parents there. Eventually, it was time for lunch, and it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Lunch was a combination of beef, chicken, and pork mixed with veggies. While nothing about that meal is particularly unique, the flavors were better than those in similar meals I’ve had in the past. When we were served dessert, it was something that I had never seen before. The dish is called che khuc bach, which consists of panna cotta cubes served in a sweet syrup with fruits and almonds. After being hesitant to try it, I ended up thoroughly enjoying the meal. At around one o’clock, everyone on the trip finally got to see the long-awaited welcome ceremony from the University of Economics and Finance students. During the ceremony, I noticed how welcoming the students and faculty were towards everyone on the trip. After plenty of pictures and introductions to the faculty members involved in this program, we got to play two games that the UEF students planned for us. The first game was where two teams both danced at the same time, and the last person to stop after the song was done lost the round. The second game was a guessing game in which idioms were displayed on the screen, and the first person to guess correctly won the round. One of the most genuinely surprising moments of the day came not from the sights, but from conversations. During our tour, I got to talk with a Vietnamese student named Kaelyn, and within minutes, we discovered that we shared similar music tastes. Some of the artists we both listen to are Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, and Rihanna. These are the same artists I have been listening to for years, and hearing her rattle off the same names felt like talking to someone from home. It may sound as simple as just having similar music tastes, but it was one of my favorite conversations all day. One of the main aspects of Ho Chi Minh I noticed was that several areas of the city seemed to cater to a more foreign population than to local people. There were full roads lined with luxury items such as Rolexes and other high-end goods. Most of the restaurants in this area seemed to be more Western-oriented, trying to attract more tourists than locals. To finish the day off, we had a three-course dinner where we had several dishes new to me, such as using rice paper, greens, and squid to make a tastTo finish off, nothing has differed significantly from my expectations of Vietnam or from what we originally discussed in our group presentations back at Pitt.p presentations back at Pitt. One of the aspects I believe I didn’t realize would be as important as it is are the conversations you have with locals. They have been some of the most memorable experiences I have had on this trip so far.