The month of May has just ended, and with it, our first full week in Vietnam. The majority of our time was spent touring and exploring, as part of a culture week arranged by the university, and I can definitely say that I appreciated that opportunity. I don’t feel that I would’ve so quickly settled had we not been constantly moving from location to location – a contradiction, for sure, but a belief I hold firmly. Vietnam, as a location, is close to how I’d envisioned; I had pieced together a solid mental image through research in the month leading up to my departure, so very few things have left me surprised so far in regard to the area. What I didn’t at all expect was how easy it was to adjust, and the degree to which I can function in Vietnam. I expected to survive in a bubble – mostly interacting with my colleagues from work and school, living off of convenience store noodles and McDonalds – but already I am finding myself more comfortable and eager to explore. The locals are very approachable and happy to engage, I have felt of better health than ever before thanks to an active lifestyle, and the food I’ve picked hasn’t failed me yet. I’ve eaten fruits and meats of dubious origin, off of carts and boats alike, but thus far I’ve only gotten sick from a wrapped sandwich given to me by a supervisor. With each new day comes new experiences, new do’s and don’ts’, and new things to add to my “When in ‘Nam” bucket list.
Out of the structured “culture week” activities, I found the most informative to be the overnight excursion down south to the Mekong Delta and the subsequent visit to the floating market and surrounding areas. Prior to landing in Vietnam, I spent a chunk of the 14-hour plane ride reading a book by Mark Manson subtitled “A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life.” One section of the book concerns the pursuit of happiness, and the key takeaway is that many of the things we pursue in the West don’t really grant us happiness – rather, the presence of a benchmark for performance and success causes us to never fully be satisfied. The constant connectedness brought about by social media only worsens this, against what such platforms were intended for.
In the southern-most region of Vietnam, we didn’t see as many important historical or cultural landmarks as we had during our city tour, but I believe it gave us the most accurate view of what daily life was for people outside of the major developing areas in Vietnam. Small, open-air homes with time-worn exteriors, but polished tile floors, Wi-fi routers, and rows of high-tech gaming PCs visible beyond the doorway. Families passing melon and durian between ends of a boat on the open river, the youngest of the bunch sitting cross-legged and blue beneath a colorful umbrella, eyes and hands fixed on his smartphone. A yard decorated with stone and populated by roosters but punctuated by a shiny new Honda motorbike. It’s apparent that life here is much simpler, and many of Vietnam’s people don’t carry the same societal and social burdens of their peers in the West, granting them much happier and more peaceful lives. But that isn’t to say even the most rural parts of Vietnam are void of modern conveniences; quite the opposite, in these areas the presence of such technologies only seems to serve them in their happiness, instead of placing yet another burden as they do in the West.
I look forward to, in the coming weeks, continuing to explore and learn about Vietnam. One thing I would like to determine is if there’s a cultural mandate or tradition of preserving older properties, as I’ve noticed the Vietnamese are much less prone to demolition and reconstruction, instead maintaining old properties for what seems like generations. I’ve also set goals I hope to reach during my stay here, to make this period as transformative and effective as possible, but I will discuss those in a later entry. Cheers, and until next time.
UF in Vietnam Internship 