We had yet another Vietnamese language class to start our day today. We learned the alphabet and how to pronounce the letters, which was so much harder than expected because of the 6 different tones. We also learned a few phrases to use at the market that we would be going to later in the day. After the language lesson, we all tried on our custom ao dai – they were all so gorgeous and, of course, fit perfectly! I’m not sure if it was the same for the boys, but there were enough of each color of ao dai for each girl to be matching with another. After many group photos, we changed back into our normal clothes and listened to Tuan tell us a little about Vietnam’s history while painting on rice hats. I liked seeing the various designs that everyone chose to paint and the reasons behind them. I personally chose to paint a lily flower because it’s my second favorite kind of flower, a lotus flower because it’s my favorite flower and because it’s Vietnam’s unofficial national flower, my name in Mandarin Chinese, and a mountain by a river just for fun.
We went to a pizza place for lunch, where we had chicken nuggets, Coca Cola, 4-cheese pizza, and buffalo chicken pizza(a little taste of home right here). We all ate so much food that we had to box up the rest of the pizzas to save them for later.
After lunch, we went to the Ben Thanh market where we, with the help of the UEF students, haggled tirelessly for our souvenirs. We even managed to bring the price of a knock-off purse down from 1,600,000 VND to 600,000 VND. Although it wasn’t my first time doing so, I had a lot of fun haggling with the vendors, and I think it’s a good life skill and experience to have. From the market, we drove over to the US Consulate and listened to a woman named Annie who works in the economics department there tell us about what her job consists of; she visits companies and checks up on them and their operations to ensure that they’re following regulations. They’re also checking on the black market/production of knock-offs, since this fraudulence is relatively prominent in Vietnam and is the reason why Vietnam is on a watchlist for fraudulent activity. My friend Rachel asked her about international companies and their implementation of sustainable methods, to which she responded by telling us that globalized American companies are doing well with sustainability/are proud of their progress, however it’s a little difficult for them and regional companies when it comes to things like solar panels because the batteries required for them are produced in China, which they are trying to stray away from. She mentioned that Lego is the most successful with their sustainability, but they are not an American brand. She mentioned that Vietnam has a goal to become a high income country by 2045, and while I think that the country certainly has the potential for this, things like the black market are holding it back. I think everyone in our group found it funny and ironic that we headed straight to a department that is trying to dismantle a market that we just finished contributing to.
To end the day, we went on a long and scenic water bus tour around the city, where I personally took the opportunity to take in the breeze and catch a couple of Z’s, and others socialized with each other. I was truthfully very relieved to get back to the hotel and have the chance to rest in the air conditioning.
Our time here in Vietnam will soon be ending, and naturally, I’m feeling very bittersweet about it. I’m going to deeply miss getting to talk with our UEF friends, getting shown around and recommended spots that they love, and tasting all of the unique/foreign food. However, I’m also very excited to head back home and be in an area that I’m familiar with, see my hometown friends, gossip with my coworkers, and most notably, be in the cooler temperatures/have more air conditioning available to me. Not to be cliché, but this trip has truly been such a one-of-a-kind experience that I won’t be able to have again. To be in this city, at this time, with this generation of people at this young and opportunistic age is something that I will reminisce on sincerely and would recommend to everyone who has the chance.