Vietnam Take 2!

I spent most of my 2008 trip saying things like "How many times is a girl going to be in South Korea/Thailand/Taiwan/China/Vietnam?"  Turns out the answer to that last country is at least twice!

I left my house around 7 am on Saturday February 26...28 hours later, I walked into my hotel suite in the Rex Hotel.  The local time when I arrived was 11 pm on Sunday.  I spent most of Monday getting settled and exploring the actual hotel.  It has a lot of war-time history, although I am staying in a newer wing.  Monday evening I had my first presentation to a group of local students and parents.  Although much of the content is the same as my usual presentations, working with an interpreter was an odd feeling.  My local contact, Sean, then took me to a Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.  We had a LOT of food, most of it delicious.

Breakfast each day has been buffet style, with seating in a rooftop garden.  Yes, I know that's a tough way to start the day :)  One thing I find interesting about breakfast here is the combination of foods they serve.  There are plenty of fruit and pastry options, but they also serve soup, dumplings, rice and other dishes I would expect at lunch or dinner.  There's also a nice selection of juices including watermelon, guava, apple and orange.

Tuesday morning I explored outside my hotel a little more.  Crossing streets in Vietnam is pretty intense so I was pretty excited to have done it successfully.  (Someone on facebook referred to me as 'little frogger' which is a VERY accurate description!)  There is a statue of Ho Chi Minh right outside my hotel, the Opera House and the People's Committee building.  We are in District 1 (there are 10 districts, but the geographic placement does not make a lot of sense), which is where most of the important buildings in the city can be found.

After surviving the streets, it was time for lunch!  Another buffet (very common), thist time with some of the other college reps attending the IIE fair.  This was followed by a country briefing and review of the visa application process.  The actual fair began at 3 and went until 6.  This was very different from my last visit when we only met with educational agents in a VERY organized manner. I am proud to say that the JMU table had people there almost the entire time.  It really is nice to be a well-thought of school.  The coolest moment had to be when the Consul General stopped by our table and shared that his oldest daughter was a JMU grad and his youngest was just admitted!  Perfect example of the JMU small world quality we all know and love.

Today I have a few presentations with groups of agents then we fly to Hanoi.  I'm excited to add another city to my list of places I've been!

Erin