Company visits galore!

We decided to take the street vendor challenge last night and try some of the food around Ho Chi Minh. First, our UEF friends brought us a type of sticky rice with coconut. It was really sweet and tasted so good. Then we hopped on the bikes and went to another street vendor that had chicken and sticky rice, which was equally as good. For dessert, we went to a place called the New York Dessert Cafe. I got a huge piece of cheesecake and it was so good. Then we all walked around a nearby mall for a while. It had a lot of really nice shops in it, but the prices were about the same as they normally are in the US so I didn't feel compelled to buy anything. Most of our group went back to get ready to go out to Lush after that, but a few people including myself decided to spend more time at the mall with our UEF friends. It was so much fun and it amazes me how well you can get to know people in just a few short weeks.

 motorbike fun

Huyen is rollin' in the dong at the New York Dessert Cafe.

After our shopping extravaganza, I quickly got ready to go to Lush, which is supposed to be one of the best night clubs in Ho Chi Minh. It didn't disappoint at all and was amazing. Even the taxi ride there was amazing (the cab driver blasted Hotel California and the Macarena for us to dance to). It was ladies night so ladies got in for free and got almost any drink they wanted until midnight. We all had a great time hanging out with each other and it was definitely a night to remember!

Today we had so many company visits. First we went to Saigon Newport Corporation. This company provides many services that are associated with shipping goods on waterways. They own many shipyards throughout Vietnam. The Vietnamese Navy owns this corporation and manages it. We were given a presentation as well as a tour of the grounds, and it was really cool to see. Anh came with us to the visit and during the visit, she gave me a gift. The first day I had met her, she showed me a type of medicine used in Vietnam to cure headaches and stomachaches. Its this yellow liquid that you put on your temples and it cures you ailment. She gave me a small vial of it to take home with me and I thought it was so sweet of her to think of me!

After a nice long bus ride where we all napped, iced coffee, and lunch, we visited Quang Trung Software Company (QTSC). It houses a variety of software companies from around the world in a place known as "Quang Trung Software City". In addition, it also contains housing, restaurants, and schools. We walked around the software city to see schools and other buildings. After that, our group headed over to TMA Solutions, a local software company located in the software city. We were given a tour of their labs and then were spoken to in a meeting. The visit was very interesting as an engineer because it once again showed the possibility of either interning or living permanently abroad as an engineer. Before this trip, I probably would have never thought to look for internships or jobs abroad, but after spending so much time in Vietnam, it seems like a real possibility.

When we got back to our hotel, the UEF students picked us up for dinner as usual. First we went to get street vendor food, but this time we got ice cream. The ice cream was some fruity flavor (I can't remember what it is called), but it was really good. Next we went to a place called Kichi-kichi for hot pot. My driver and I may or may not have gotten lost on the way to the restaurant (we were just taking the scenic route) so we were a bit late. But luckily we didn't miss any of the awesome food. Basically what happens is you choose the type of seasoning you want in your pot and the waiter brings out a giant pot for you. Then you place it on a burner in front of you and add in any type of meat, vegetables, or noodles that you want in the pot to cook it. All of the stuff you can add to the pot travels around the tables in giant conveyor belts so you can pick and choose what you want. It was kind of overwhelming, but Dang sat next to me and showed me how to do it. She got me to try all kinds of really weird things, like squid and heart (#yolo, don't judge). Sounds gross, but it was actually kind of good as long as you didn't think about what you were eating. 

Tomorrow will be an early day because we are heading up to Cu Chi for the day. Which means that I need to stop blogging. Goodnight!

-Hailee