#PhoMO

My name is Dan Zazworsky and this is a blog about my adventures around the world.

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May 16, 2014 - Flowers of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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May 14, 2014

-Notre Dame Cathedral

-City Hall

-Post Office

-War Remnants Museum

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May 12, 2014

-Ben Thanh Market

-Xa Loi Pagota

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May 13, 2014

My favorite lecturer is back again! We had a second lecture this time about the various regions of Vietnam.  I love the way this guy speaks and I wish half of my professors lectured the way he does.  I did not realize there were so many ethnic variations in Vietnam, but there are, and each region has its own micro-culture.  Truly another facisnating lecture, and once again I am learning that everything in this country is China's fault.  

We were then cut loose for the day, so we headed back to the hotel and I took a much needed nap, and then a small group of US went downtown to the post office and the town hall to take pictures and shop.  We stopped in a few of the high end boutiques shops and I was just in awe of the prices even of brands that I own.  

I'll be posting picture soon, more tomorrow

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May 12, 2014

We started the day off with another vietnamese class, except we focused more on bargaining vocab because later in the day we will be heading to the Ben Thanh market in Saigon.  Class was typical and I feel as though I am making some head way in this language but I still cannot read it at all.  Our class was held on a UEF campus that was only 10 minutes from our hotel, leading me to question why we had not gone to this campus the whole time.  

After the lesson we headed to the market. It no onger serves the purpose that it did in the past and now is just a tourist attraction.  Regardless it was a blast to bargain with the merchants.  I managed to pick up some goodies to take home and give as gifts.  

After the market, we headed to the Xa Loi Pagota. The home of the monk that was the first buddhist to self immolate in protest of the Vietnam War. Very interesting and spiritual experience. I really enjoy visiting religious sites be it of my religion or of another.  I just enjoy the quiet and reverence of a place of worship.  And I truly like the idea of buddhism just because of the focus on the self and conquering ones ego.   

We then headed back to the hotel for the night.  More tomorrow. 

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May 11, 2014

We drove 2 hours out to the beach in Vung Tau on the South China Sea.  On the way there we stopped at this giant statue of Jesus that overlooks the sea.  We hiked up the hill, and hike and sweat was worth it.  The view from the promontory was spectacular.  I was shocked to see how close the cargo ships were passing to the land.  We tried going up into Jesus but the line was an hour plus so we opted to stay outside.  Nothing tastes better in Vietnam than fresh, cold coconut. 

After Jesus, we headed down to the hydrofoil port and had lunch.  The food was amazing. More variations of the usual seafood dishes served over rice.  I love how fresh the seafood is in this country. 

We then headed to the beach.  The sun is hot but…the water is like bathtub water.  But still it was refreshing.  While we were in the ocean we met a very drunk Vietnamese guy who was very friendly and spoke no English. 

Overall the day was fun, but I’m getting a bit run down sleep wise.  Hopefully getting to bed early tonight so I can make it through the rest of the week.  

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May 10, 2014 - Cu Chi tunnel system.  An example of the tunnel systems that the Viet Cong used to fight a guerrilla war against the US in Southern Vietnam.  

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May 10, 2014

Today we went to the Cu Chi tunnels.  A really surreal place for an american to go to.  It is one of the many systems of tunnels that the Viet Cong used to wage a guerrilla war against the USA.  The videos and information the Vietnamese portray in the museum and on the trail are very skewed and for obvious reasons.  

After touring the tunnels and the various exhibits i am in awe of the viet cong and their tenacity and at the marvel of engineering which they built without plan or with out proper tools.  The tunnels were tiny after they expanded them for tourists and were even smaller when just the vietnamese used them.  There were bats and spiders and these huge millipedes all over. 

It was crazy hot and today was the first day we spent all day outside and it was tiring.  I fell asleep immediately after getting on the bus, I will be posting pictures of today later. 

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May 9, 2014

We started today with a lecture on vietnamese history by a professor at from the state university of Vietnam.  From what i gather, Vietnam blames the Chinese for most of their problems past, present and future.  This is the most interesting lecturer we have listened to so far this trip.  

After the lecture, we then got fitted for our tailored suits.  My favorite part of the day just because i have long dreamed of getting a bespoke suit made for myself.

 We then joined the Cultural Exchange Club and the English Club at UEF and played some games with them.  Lots of fun, but at this point i was so exhausted that I wasn't very involved.  

Tomorrow we're heading to the Cu Chi. I'm excited to see a part of history and crawl through some tight spaces.  

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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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May 7, 2014

Today we did not spend anytime at UEF today.  Instead we went to the Singapore Vietnam Industrial Park.  It was very similar to The Phu My Hung development we visited yesterday.  Basically it is a jointly owned company that leases land from the government of Vietnam and then turns around and leases it to other firms.  It is mainly inhabited by factories for foreign companies.   But there are cafeterias for the workers and various restaurants.  

After getting a lengthy presentation from the VSIP representative, we listened to a presentation by a representative of IIVI Vietnam Corp.  He is a American and is the chief engineer for the local branch.  We toured two of the company's factories.  Really cool stuff. More for engineers but it was interesting to see how factories are managed.  

Lunch was amazing. We had all sorts of fish dishes, there was squid with tofu, clams, and this incredible squid with onions dish.  Still don't know a single food name except pho.  

Tonight we went out to dinner with some of the students from UEF. The restaurant was weird.  It was supposed to be french, but it couldn't decide which western european country it was.  There were german beers, french wines, english liquors, vietnamese people and fusion food. I had the crocodile and it was fantastic.  Savory and Sweet like a german gravy. We then headed to a karaoke bar, but i have been dragging since I got my massage.  Karaoke was fun, but I was too tired to enjoy it.  

I got a massage and it was awesome and it only cost me $20. Something unheard of.  Included in the price was a sauna, Jacuzzi, and a steam bath on top of all that I got a half hour foot massage and an hour long back massage.  I needed it so badly.  

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May 6, 2014

This morning was an early one. We left the hotel around 8 AM for UEF. We attended a very interesting lecture about the economic development of Vietnam looking at the past, present and future. Vietnam is currently very focused on bettering its infrastructure to attract more investment in the city as well as make it simpler for people to move around. The projects they are working on currently are a metro system, a rapid bus system and a series of elevated roads. I think the US could learn a few things from the vietnamese infrastructure reform. We then had a quick break for coffee and oh my god, the coffee here is incredible. I need figure out how to make this when I’m home in a hot Oakland apartment. Lunch was in the canteen again, and once again the food was incredible. I don’t know names or anything but its delicious. Lots of spice and sauce. I’m really enjoying this food here. I am growing tired of the bus trips, but it gives me a chance to get to know my trip-mates. Our guide Tin is hilarious and is just this little jolly Vietnamese guy. I’m looking forward to getting to know the Vietnamese students and spend time more immersed in the culture here. Hopefully our dinner with them tonight will help us get to know them more.

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I think he's following me

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Monument commerating the Viet Cong who were killed while assaulting the former US Embassy in Ho Chi Minh City. 

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Day 1 Part 2

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The First Course - May 6, 2014

Spent about 30 hours in the past day between airplanes and airports. Asia is truly alien to me.  I can't read any of the language let alone try to pronounce it.  The people are very hospitable and friendly, at least here in Vietnam.  This 11 hour difference is killing me, along with the crossing of the international date line.  I can no longer figure out what day it is let along calculate the time difference.  I woke up this morning around 6:30 and wasn't able to get back to sleep.  Showered and went down and experienced a vietnamese breakfast.  Made up of foods that a westerner would label as lunch or dinner items.  The buffet consisted of all sorts of noodle dishes along with dumplings and these weird salted duck eggs.  i promise the duck eggs were extremely salty as promised.  After breakfast, a few buddies and I went out for a morning walk.  The streets here are chaos.  Mopeds loaded with god know what streak up and down the streets, sometimes even on the sidewalks.  Met a man carrying fresh coconuts over his should bought one and its the only time i have ever enjoyed coconut milk.  But, my god, it was refreshing.  We walked a few blocks around the area that our hotel is situated in.  

We went to the University of Economics and Finance to meet our host students and it was interesting to say the least. They performed a dance that showcased the 3 different regions of Vietnam for us.  As well as a very good rendition of "I'm Your's" sung by one of the students.  In the final performance the whole group sang "Heal the World" by Michael Jackson, a song that truly spans borders as well as age gaps.  after the songs, each Pitt student was given a gift, a UEF soccer jersey.  

After the meet and greet with the students, we had our first vietnamese class.  This language is something like i have never experienced.  the way they form the sounds of their language completely different from the way most western languages do. The tongue is rarely used and most of the work is done with the throat and the jaw. Reminds me somewhat of the way i had to learn to speak Hungarian.  Not to mention the fact that Vietnamese is a tonal language (a whole new ballpark).  I am excited to be immersed in this language and to learn how to speak (rudimentarily) this language and speak to the people here.   

The people here in Vietnam are truly some of the nicest people I have met. Always smiling and happy to greet you anywhere.  Something I had not expected to experience in a country that had such a recent conflict with the United States.  They are cheerful in their helpfulness and even if they cannot convey what they want to in their scattered English.  

Our last stop of the day was at the US consulate in the city.  A place of great history.  It was built on the grounds of the former US Embassy in Saigon.  The sight of the Tet offensive that showed the vulnerability of the US in Vietnam.  I was amazed by the different tellings of the attack on either side of the wall.  On one side of the wall, the Viet Cong rebels who assaulted the Embassy are honored and on the US side there is a plaque honoring the 5 US service members that died protecting the Embassy.  It truly gives one a perspective on how history is written by the victors.  

But what hit me the hardest was the food.  It is incredible. The fare here is so light and easy to eat, you lose yourself in the cuisine and quickly forget how much you have eaten until you look down at your empty plate.  If breakfast was any hint at what the food we would consume in our 2 weeks here.  Lunch was amazing.  An assortment of dishes served over freshly steamed rice and with beautifully cold ice tea.  Our first dinner in country was at a restaurant where all of the food was served family style and each person was given the freedom to combine their choices in a wrap and then dipped in a sauce that varied with each dish.  

This first day has been exhausting and has gotten me excited for what is to come in these next 10 days.