The day started with a talk at the U.S. Consulate covering the current state of the Vietnamese economy, and one figure from that session is still sitting with me. Vietnam has set a formal target of becoming a high income country by 2045. Two weeks ago, sitting at home before any of this started, I…
Author: cmm515
went to the zoo!
CJ and I woke up at six in the morning so we could get to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens before it got busy. I didn’t think twice about it, I love animals, and missing a bit of sleep was worth it. When we arrived, the place was empty. It felt like we had…
Shipping crates and peanuts!
Week two started with a visit to Cat Lai Terminal, one of Vietnam’s biggest and busiest container ports. The sheer size of the operation is still hard to take in. The port processes ships in twelve to eighteen hour shifts and moves around 81 containers every hour. It runs every day of the year, with…
Weekend get away
This weekend was a much needed change of pace. We made our way out to the Mekong Delta, and from the moment we arrived, it was clear this part of Vietnam would feel very different from the energy of Ho Chi Minh City. The landscape was greener, quieter, and the pace of life noticeably slower…
Today’s site visit took us to Glass Egg Digital Media, and I can say without hesitation that it has been my favorite of the entire trip so far. Walking through the studio floor by floor was genuinely impressive. Each level was dedicated to a different area of game development, with sections focused on car design,…
One of the most unique places I’ve been to
I spent the whole day at the Cu Chi Tunnels, and it was unlike anything else I’ve experienced on this trip. Before we went underground, we saw tanks, artillery, and a large plane left behind after the American withdrawal. The old, weathered equipment sitting out in the open immediately set the mood for the day….
Diversification is Key
Today’s class started with one of the most thought-provoking exercises so far. A case study about a company that finds out one of its suppliers is using child labor, with workers as young as eight to twelve. Instead of just looking at it from one side, we had to analyze the situation from four different…
Tôi yêu Việt Nam
My roommate Andrew and I kicked off the morning with a visit to Highlands Coffee, a local chain that several of the UEF students had enthusiastically recommended. I ordered a black iced coffee, and I can say without any hesitation that it was one of the best drinks I have ever tasted. Safe to say,…
Day One in Vietnam!
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…
Introduction to Christopher McCay
Hi, my name is Christopher McCay and I am a Finance and Accounting major from Pittsburgh, PA, dedicated to understanding the mechanics of the global market. On campus, I stay active in the business community through Delta Sigma Pi and Theta Chi, while pursuing my personal interests in club golf, fishing, and working out. Professionally,…