On Saturday, Galen and I started our weekend excursions with our homestay family at the crack of dawn (just kidding, it was 10:00 AM) where we took a short walk to the Van Tu Buddhist Temple. The temple provided a sense of serenity and peacefulness amidst the bustling city sounds of rumbling motorbikes and honking cars. Van Tu provided Galen and me with a sense of peace; everyone around us seemed to walk with less urgency, and the fish swimming in the pond seemed to remind us, and other attendees of this, even before we went inside the Pagoda. Our host mother, Co Xuan, and our host<\/p>\n\n\n\n
brother, Em Su, told us of the significance of the temple, from the various statutes of the Buddha, where people could pray at different shrines for everything, from wealth and prosperity to fertility. Temple\u2019s second floor revealed a balcony, filled with statues of the Buddha, and I was once again overcome with a sense of peacefulness. Visiting Van Tu temple was a great way to start the day, it made me think about the fast pace of city life and reminded me to slow down and enjoy every moment of our journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfhPEbC_bh5qvq8HHHNFE4HWTxx861sT806UZ_d1-Ta8v2tbQd71gsT1woag6yyE_cgHEqRM-hN1VM71DuXrmKEvDsE6pLpuMbdygsZeNHvMxep_MThM8jo3SinCoRw_yNHDEADUQ?key=UUa_vlV32GZyj2ncTXFO56N5\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAfter departing Van Tu, our host mother took us to a massage parlor, knowing that both Galen and I were interested in getting a massage in Vietnam, and what an experience it was! Since it was my first massage ever, I didn\u2019t have any inkling of what to expect, or what I was getting myself into! After laying down in a massage chair, the masseuse deftly released tension and pressure in my arms, and back, relieving pressure in the joints that I didn\u2019t even know I had! In the blink of an eye Galen and I were in a sauna, which helps ease inflammation and relax muscles after getting a massage. What a way to start off the weekend! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sunday was also filled with eventful activities, even though I couldn\u2019t participate in everything planned. Co Xuan, our host mother, started the day off by taking us to Fahasa bookstore<\/a>, a bookstore that sold both Vietnamese and English-titled books. Looking around the bookstore gave us an opportunity to view the sea of books present, and look at some of the more popular selling books. Yet the second floor of the bookstore housed everything from rows of pens to various stuffed animals and manga books- the store was so expansive that I almost lost track of Galen! For me, the rest of the day was spent exploring various cafes, trying to fight off writer’s block by bouncing from one cafe to another as I finished writing an application for a summer internship, which was a constant fight but also gave me a moment of rest in the fast-paced city of Ho Chi Minh City, marking a peaceful end to the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monday snuck up behind us faster than I had expected. After a weekend of fun and excitement with my homestay family, it was time to get back into the classroom- and outside of it, which was exactly what we did. Our day started out with a trip to Thu Duc City. Located in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City,\u00a0 Thu Duc City is a hotbed of current development, with the Vietnamese government throwing vast sums of cash at the municipality in order to spur development and attract foreign companies and development. During this particular visit, we went to visit THADICO<\/a>. The company has many different functions, and operates everything, from managing the sewage of the city to building new buildings and luxury apartments. Its reach is ever-expansive, and all-encompassing throughout Thu Duc City. While official representatives spoke about the company, and its hopes for the future development of the municipality, my classmates and I couldn\u2019t help but feel something \u201coff\u201d about the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Thu Duc City seems to be the hopes and dreams of future development- and make no mistake, this could very well be true- its lack of people and new style of architecture seems to make it uncanny in various aspects. Unlike the bustling motorbikes, roadside coffee stands, and chaotic Monday morning of our familiar District 1, Thu Duc City almost seems like a parallel world; motorbikes are few and far between, and roadside vendors nonexistent- primarily because it’s illegal in the municipality. With nowhere near the number of people walking to and from work like in other districts, the area felt almost artificial, a city built up, but with no people to speak of. This observation left me, and others, with more questions than answers in an unsettling city with beautiful buildings and skyscrapers, yet seemingly no one inside of them. Vietnam has high hopes for the future of the city, and the recent increase in Foreign Direct Investment from the U.S. among other countries signals Vietnam\u2019s optimism and confidence for the future, especially in attracting foreign industry to the country. While still an up-and-coming area, with construction and development still being built right now, it seems as though it will take time to see the trends with the new development and construction of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NGOs in Vietnam have had a rocky relationship with the government, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) since the 1970s. After returning from our morning excursion to Thu Duc City, our afternoon speaker, Mr. Son Pham, an executive of an NGO gave us a lecture about NGOs in Vietnam and the rocky relationship the government has had with NGOs in the present-day, which has gradually gotten better over the decades, but there are still restrictions on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Son Pham started his first NGO in a coffee shop, created to combat HIV\/Aids, and help marginalized groups within Vietnam. We then learned about the various roles that NGOs play in Vietnam, including but not limited to medical services, education, English language learning, and various other NGOs pertaining to economic and social development. While some of these organizations are wide-reaching on the foreign stage, Vietnam also has a lot of homegrown NGOs, which we explored the next day. Mr. Son Pham also spoke about political issues surrounding NGOs in Vietnam, recounting the former General Secretary of Vietnam, Nguy\u1ec5n Ph\u00fa Tr\u1ecdng, clamping down on NGOs that specifically focus on human rights issues- a vague, and thinly veiled warning by the government. Former General Secretary Nguy\u1ec5n Ph\u00fa Tr\u1ecdng followed up on his threats, and even jailed workers of certain non-profits, due to their focus on \u201chuman rights\u201d development and protections. Mr. Son Pham is optimistic about the new General Secretary and says that the future of NGOs looks bright in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We visited various NGOs located around Ho Chi Minh City in groups of three or two that Tuesday. I was paired up with Emma and Grace, and the NGO we visited was Saigon Medicine, an NGO that specializes in educating and aiding young adults and pre-teens on sexual health. During the visit, Jayce, a member of the marketing group of Saigon Medicine<\/a>, gave us a presentation on the content they produce, and how Saigon Medicine disseminates educational content on sexual health to online platforms, such as their website<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, and even TikTok<\/a>. They also have in-person workshops located in Ho Chi Minh City. Founded by Urologist Dr. Tran Quoc Phong, Saigon Medicine primarily focuses on safe sexual practices, and what one should do if one contracts an STD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though relatively new, the NGO has many viewers, and almost 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. Their content is very much needed due to the taboo nature of sex, and sexual health in Vietnam. While educational, there are still some barriers to producing educational content. Sometimes, TikTok age-restricts or bans certain videos about sexual health, and pushback is also common in the older generation. These aspects are but minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, and Saigon Medicine continues to grow and reach even more individuals every day. They even hope to have subtitles in English, along with Vietnamese next year, in the hopes of expanding their reach even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday marks a bittersweet moment for me, as it is the last full day with my host family, who have been nothing short of phenomenal in their generosity and kindness. After a quick morning lecture, Galen and I headed home for the rest of the day, where we took our homestay family out for dinner at a Korean restaurant called Gogi House. We wanted to show our homestay family our appreciation for everything they did for us in the past week. The dinner was a great way to spend the last night, and I will miss Em Su and Co Xuan very much. After finishing dinner, we headed back to the house, where we exchanged gifts and said our goodbyes (the first of many) before heading off to bed. When I look back at Vietnam, and my travels, I will think of them, and their generosity and kindness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As I am writing this, on Thursday afternoon, the globies are getting ready to head off to Hu\u1ebf City, located in central Vietnam. Hu\u1ebf City is the old imperial capital of Vietnam, known for its historic monuments, and former seat of the Nguy\u1ec5n Emperors. Everyone, including me, is very excited to explore Hue City, which will contain new adventures and stories to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you for following me along my journey for the past few days. Until next time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tejas Nenneman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Tejas Nenneman Hello Everyone! Xin ch\u00e0o! I\u2019m Tejas Nenneman, and I\u2019m a Political Science major at St. Olaf College. We\u2019ve been everywhere these past couple of exciting days! Everything from weekend excursions around Saigon with our homestay family, visiting the peculiar Thu Duc City, to NGO visits\u2026 and I almost forgot! Today\u2019s the last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4410,"featured_media":807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[35,14,11],"class_list":["post-801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-vietnam","tag-ho-chi-minh-city","tag-homestay","tag-site-visit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1764\/2024\/12\/IMG_9947-e1733588791612.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":810,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801\/revisions\/810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfaCrvSa-UFSn5Vnn8rfQnFht6JXySldrdKxXfCSjw52cLCjzUy-xHfDFzicvpjh_o09RYWtRtFjP7x-z2CCf5XS6v3D7zM-3Q9k6tvY6ezz5xYa8cUpOmrye-FABTu4d4iaNEGEw?key=UUa_vlV32GZyj2ncTXFO56N5\")
\n\n\n\nThu Duc City: Sensational or Soulless?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1764\/2024\/12\/Dec-2nd_-Thu-Duc-City-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/globalsemester2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1764\/2024\/12\/Dec-2nd_-Thu-Duc-City-1-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n\n\n\nNGO\u2019s and New Frontiers: Forging a New Future <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXd5TnZ5-qaUihmnb89cJRC7Z_ZYqV5DHgV42BgEMgQ2JiAMXanPjMNMq0Kis_E8qnMNHv8K8rGHl3jE1Ir80e5UD6_KTDhuVAnylgMZjD82ERn5LEfDo--s2Xr8XCu-4OHy6TFnzA?key=UUa_vlV32GZyj2ncTXFO56N5\")
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeqgv-0MQmc7eJyl-8LRFSxgfLHNISibrQQQDZLzrLCkh7AH8roclkmt7VaQf17eRSdIEk9M5_Z7A6BQQsHOTmrkAv9k00x-UBK3O1oPi2udUyJonWrBJw7474E39juGvXU8c-9?key=UUa_vlV32GZyj2ncTXFO56N5\")
\n\n\n\nHomestay Farewells, and Flights to Hu\u1ebf City<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeBg83CBIQfnkhoLfF6j5ffkuR-X_RwMtlnZn4SioMFXTBnCyIlSCMChNTt5_82UJoK_LXy6hTbbBU3fGr3miVSZNOM7VnQZk1D7cm-Nh0OQwXUOxlFeCS76gN5NCJQ3uRKguRa?key=UUa_vlV32GZyj2ncTXFO56N5\")
\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcglFwXBU9Tbx8OdoSZt30vp5eSdt4-c0Uj3gootPCfqBvgmdGVL9lAclLg3k-ktRKurobpbUSSAUL2YyWXFeqAnXi7y5EBwEgfYIIgF0j2eeq2YepCWt2CQmASTj1i0bw6cmvR_w?key=UUa_vlV32GZyj2ncTXFO56N5\")