Should I study in Saigon for a semester? Have any of you?

Question

I am an econ student looking to study doi moi in Vietnam next year. The nearly all members of the Vietnamese refugee community in southern California I know have told me not to. However, every other American I know who was been there strongly reccomends it. What do you say?

Answer 1

First of all, you have to realize that not everyone in Vietnam speaks English fluently. You'd have to adjust to the fact that if you don't speak the local language, there's going to be a lot of adjustment on your part. It may be difficult for you to get information there.

Secondly, you have to ask whether your university has any linkages with any university in Saigon.

But if you've really set your mind into doing your research there, go ahead. I've been there for my job  (just a few days) and I want to go back to explore the country.

Answer 2

You should study history a little more, cause you won't find Saigon over there anymore.

Answer 3

Many members of the Vietnamese-American community feel obliged by the PC of their own anti-communist  community standards to discourage any dealings with Vietnam. Yet they themselves go to Vietnam to visit, do business and vacation by the hundreds of thousand each year.

In 2006, there were over 300,000 people from the US visiting Vietnam, most were Vietnamese-Americans. Over the  Tet Holiday (next month), it's estimated that 100,000 will . Do not listen to their negative advice. Do what they do, not what they say!

A few years ago, I mentioned to a number of Vietnamese-Americans about my pending visit to Vietnam. They all advised me not to go. They related horror stories about the unsanitary conditions, the dirty and unsafe Russian-made planes, the corruption of customs amd immigration officials that I'll need to bribe, possible harrasment and arrests by local officials etc...

All lies! The facilities I visited, including hotels and restaurants, are so very clean and hospitable as any I've seen in America and Europe. The Vietnam Airlines planes were all new, shiny Boeings with excellent schedules and services. No one asked me for a bribe and I travelled the lenght and breath of the country, from North to South, from the smallest village to the largest cities, unmolested and met nothing but courtesy, politeness, cooperation and friendliness.

I left a video camera in a taxi once in Saigon  and it was returned to me at the hotel that same day (the driver picked me up in front of the hotel so he figured that's where I stayed. I had a hard time convincing him to accept a $5 reward for his honesty and trouble of having to go to the hotel to return the camera. He finally accepted only $1). Lovely people and so honest! And the food is the best this side of heaven: fresh, flavorful and low in fat!

Go and enjoy. It's the safest (and one of the most beautiful)  country to visit in the whole world . It has the highest rate of economic growth in the world and second only to China's so don't miss this golden opportunity to study about Doi Moi.

By the way, I'm going back later this year for another 3-week visit. This time, I'm bringing my family. We can't wait to enjoy the new luxury beach resort at Mui Ne!

P.S. Do not worry about the language issue. Most people you need to deal with can speak English fairly well. The others know enough plus you'll learn a little Vietnamese so you'll manage.

I've talked to American, British and Australian students enrolling at universities in Hanoi and Saigon and they had no  problems with the language, the dorms, the curricula, the schools or their fellow classmates...They all love the food (50 cents $1 for a large bowl of Pho), the beer (50 cents $1 a bottle), the people and the beaches!