Today we had our last language class.We reviewed everything that we had learned over the course of the two weeks, and then exchanged gifts and took pictures with everyone. We also had our last culture class, where we learned more about other factors of Vietnamese life like marriage and art. After the last classes at UEF, we were going to visit a noodle factory, but because there was a large amount of demonstrators outside of the industrial park, we cancelled the trip. It seems that the political conflict between China and Vietnam has become even more tense, because there's a lot more visible signs of protest around the city. On the bus ride back to the hotel, I talked to Tin a bit about what he thinks about the conflicts, and he shared similar views on China as the person at Saigon Newport Corporation and the lecturer. One of the things he said that stuck with me was a quote describing the philosophy of the Chinese government. He told me that the Chinese government operates by thinking "What's mine is mine and what's yours we share". As a smaller country, I guess the developing power that China exerts is pretty influential to the surrounding areas. The fears of the Vietnamese people are actually really similar to the fears that Americans share about the growth and increasing influence of China. After returning to the hotel, we got picked up a few UEF students to spend time around the city. We went to a French style coffee shop, which went further to show the foreign influence that exists in Vietnam. After the coffee shop, we had a dinner similar to what we had at Wrap n Roll the first night, except it was much cheaper on the streets. After the dinner, we had a fruit dessert that consisted of assorted fruit, cold sugary water, and nuts.
It was really refreshing and different from the western ice cream I had at the coffee shop. After that, we spent some time going around the city for one of the last times. After that, we got dropped off at the hotel to get ready for our last day in Vietnam.
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