I started off the day by thinking I should go for a run sometime before leaving so I can post it on Strava. We will see if this actually happens though because sleeping in always sounds better. When reading the itinerary, I really didn’t think today was that daunting with only two site visits. However, the day felt very long mostly due to how far everything was. A lot of time on the bus with karaoke as our entertainment drains you fast. 

Our first stop was the Cat Lai Terminal which was the area within the Ho Chi Minh City port where the cargo is loaded, unloaded, and processed. We were walking for a bit and it felt abnormally hot, which our guide then explained is because it does feel about 7 degrees hotter because of all the machinery and steel around the port. It was amazing how fast they can get ships in and out when they have so many containers on them. Talking about sustainability they asked a question of how green we think their operation is and honestly there wasn’t anything green about it. Lots of diesel trucks transporting containers back and forth and they said that they have bought a lot of electric trucks but haven’t replaced them yet. I wonder how much they can actually change about their operation until it doesn’t have anywhere close to the same level of efficiency. I also think there are some industries that keep the world moving that should be looking for those opportunities to become green but don’t because they know that they will always be needed and still be profitable. This operation is the 5th largest port in Southeast Asia by volume and even 22nd in the whole world! Which can prove my point that they don’t need to heavily invest in green operations because they are doing just fine. 

We then went to lunch in this room that was super fancy, but I was confused where the actual restaurant was. I didn’t care though because this was one of my favorite meals and had my favorite individual food so far with the fried shrimp. Also, this was the first time we had fried rice instead of sticky or white rice and I will say it’s much better than the Chinese food stir-fried rice. 

After we went to Dan On where we got to see a packaging plant for nuts and similar products. We started in the innovation center where we first had to all put on green crocs just to enter so there is no contamination. This building was really cool, and we got to see a TV set for a cooking competition show. The have a lot of automation with packing but there are still some human parts of the operation. One thing that stood out during the factory tours was the amount of equipment that was wrapped in this blue plastic wrap. The purpose was to keep the machines clean, but they also only get wrapped when they were not in use and there seemed to be a lot wrapped in each room. I wonder why so many machines are not being used at a given time. Anyways, Dan On did stand out from some of the other companies with all the benefits that the workers have access too on the campus. From a pool table to a full sized pool or the abundance of snacks(obviously) there seemed to be anything a person could possibly want during work. This makes them a competitive employer because the workers will seek Dan On so they can benefit from the extra amenities. 

Finally, for dinner we tried Pizza 4Ps which was a place recommended by a lot of people and I will say it definitely lived up to the expectations. I got half spicy beef kebab and half teriyaki chicken, and it was delicious. This also landed in top 3 foods on the trip so far. The whole aesthetic was also amazing in the restaurant creating a welcoming feel that hasn’t been matched yet.