Final Day and Reflection
Our final day began in the rural Svay Reng province bright and early. We all knew it was going to be hard to say goodbye to Cambodia and the guys we so quickly became friends with. We once again ate a delicious breakfast over at the Kone Kmeng office of noodles and eggs and dried coffee packets. We said goodbye to Ya and Josh, who was heading back to the states that night. We took a bus ride back to Ho Chi Minh City, where we would enjoy one last night in Saigon. We took a long 3 hour bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City and realized the complexity of the border system. This was my first time ever crossing a border ever and I realized what a weird system it was. The Cambodian customs system was lax and permeable, while the Vietnamese one was extremely painful. As Ya had made clear, it was very easy for Vietnamese to come into Cambodia, but near impossible for a Cambodian like himself to make his way into Vietnam despite being from less than 12 km away from Vietnam.
We arrived in Saigon around 4 PM. When we arrived at our hotel, it was a sign of relief. We went from having lizards in our rooms, bad all-night karaoke singers, and a mess of dirty clothes all the time to staying at the Park Royal Hotel, arguably one of the nicest places I'd ever stayed, wearing the clothes I had made at Yen Dung in Hoi An. We were hanging out with the App Alumni again, Dylan, Andee, Luke, and Tyler, but this time it was different. We were in the nicest hotel in Saigon, with a broader knowledge about Southeast Asia then we were when we were drunk at the microbrewery the second night in Ho Chi Minh. We now had a new Asian flavor about us in our clothes, we'd adjusted the way we talked significantly, and started to look more like cooler, more sophisticated, more internationally savvy world travelers at that point. The Hotel served us some of the best meals and drinks we had the entire trip (My happy hour 2 for 1 mojitos were probably my favorite mojitos I've ever had). Also they served quality American food, which we were all starting to miss at this point.
We went into the main epicenter of Saigon (which definitely rivals any American "downtown", check it out) for some drinks. There was more young people taking selfies than I'd ever see n in my life, and I saw Kylie Jenner's poster off in the distance. "Are we in America" I thought to myself. We made our way to Broma, where the 1$ Tiger and Sapporo flowed like water. There was some of your classic young, modern professionals here, but they weren't all expats. Many of the bars here cater to what is becoming one of the major drivers of the HCMC economy, the 20 something Vietnamese young person. The views of the city were immaculate and the EDM music was awesome. We then made a tour through the skyscrapers of Saigon and their roof bars.
When I look at Saigon I see the way the world is changing. Places like the US and Europe are so completely saturated that now much of their populations are having to spread across the other developing parts of the world (South America, Asia, Australia) in search for new opportunities. Its obvious that those notions of "Land of Opportunity" are now changing. The new opportunity lies in the developing world that we were once a part of as a nation. Saigon is an example of that. It has blown up. Tons of visitors and new companies, have caused locals and foreign firms to respond in entrepreneurial ways, responding to the needs and creating solutions. The travelers have led to much more sophisticated, world-savvy salespeople at the market, a steady hotel industry, the revamping of tourist attractions, and entertainment that caters to all different segments. The rising middle class, expats and more educated population has led to nice housing, improvements in healthcare, a great modern cuisine, diverse industries from fashion to education, and with all the new stuff, there is still so much opportunity. I look at Svay Reng, not far over the border in Cambodia, and I see small progress, at so much slower of a rate than Saigon. There are significant infrastructure steps that need to take place first before any of the larger scale growth can occur. But nonetheless I have found as an American that I can look at the rest of the world with nothing but optimism. I have an innate ability as instilled in a young age to solve problems and to be creative. America fosters Entrepreneurial thinking and I think that is shown by how many young Americans are achieving this in other countries where they are snagging opportunities missed by the locals.
It isn't just Americans that are sparking the change however. I witnessed some of the greatest examples of Cambodian and Vietnamese ingenuity across multiple industries. It isn't just NGOs like Kone Kmeng or Streets International or the Artisans D'Ankgor that are moving the wheels in the economy. Its companies like Yen Dung or Zalora that are making the innovations. They are providing jobs, providing steady pay-checks, and ultimately moving it along as well. We need all of the above in order to keep Southeast Asia moving. The people in the US that think capitalism is evil need to take a look at how empowering people to solve their own problems is making places like Vietnam grow and change.
Americans need more perspective. We have it pretty damned great. Weekends off of work, high standard of living, programs to at least attempt to combat poverty. Vietnam and Cambodia changed my life. I now look at all the material goods I once craved with disgust. After all, T-shirts worth $20 dollars in the clearance aisle in TJ Maxx are worth $4 dollars in Vietnam. Why is that? What am I paying for in the US that is so different there. Well yes there is that shipping fee. Its made over there. But where the real waste comes into play is the dollars that go towards that expensive storefront, that piss-poor service at TJ Maxx, and the intellectual property of the brand name. In Vietnam, I saw a homeless man wearing a Dolce and Gabbana hat. I saw a homeless woman in Cambodia wearing Michael Kohrs. That is because those clothes we value so much over here, are actually worthless. They make them cheaply on a massive scale in Asia. The homeless man in Asia isn't in need of clothes, or shoes, because they are everywhere.
I thought about a resource that is valuable in Asia, but so wasted and disrespected here. I remember buying water for the same price I'd pay in the US. That means for Cambodians and Vietnamese, in reference to their purchasing power, it is far more expensive for them than us. That bottle of Dasani water is a precious resource. In the US, we have clean drinkable water in swimming pools in Scottsdale. In West Virginia, we have pristine mountain rivers receiving the runoff from industrial sites. In Svay Reng we saw people drinking dangerous water from wells right next to their outhouses. We saw people that look like they barely eat everyday. Indeed, in the US, we are free from wars despite playing such a large part in them. In America, we are free from genocide. Most of us are free from street violence. If there is any lesson that I can bring back with me is that there is a world of opportunity out there, but also that here in America, we are so fortunate to live the way we do. I learned so much about supply chains, customer relations, labor productivity, management, negotiation, bargaining, entrepreneurial opportunities, the necessities, and the luxuries, all in ways that further my general business knowledge. I also now think I better understand what it takes to change a place like West Virginia for the better, from a place that once exemplified cyclical poverty.
We arrived in Saigon around 4 PM. When we arrived at our hotel, it was a sign of relief. We went from having lizards in our rooms, bad all-night karaoke singers, and a mess of dirty clothes all the time to staying at the Park Royal Hotel, arguably one of the nicest places I'd ever stayed, wearing the clothes I had made at Yen Dung in Hoi An. We were hanging out with the App Alumni again, Dylan, Andee, Luke, and Tyler, but this time it was different. We were in the nicest hotel in Saigon, with a broader knowledge about Southeast Asia then we were when we were drunk at the microbrewery the second night in Ho Chi Minh. We now had a new Asian flavor about us in our clothes, we'd adjusted the way we talked significantly, and started to look more like cooler, more sophisticated, more internationally savvy world travelers at that point. The Hotel served us some of the best meals and drinks we had the entire trip (My happy hour 2 for 1 mojitos were probably my favorite mojitos I've ever had). Also they served quality American food, which we were all starting to miss at this point.
We went into the main epicenter of Saigon (which definitely rivals any American "downtown", check it out) for some drinks. There was more young people taking selfies than I'd ever see n in my life, and I saw Kylie Jenner's poster off in the distance. "Are we in America" I thought to myself. We made our way to Broma, where the 1$ Tiger and Sapporo flowed like water. There was some of your classic young, modern professionals here, but they weren't all expats. Many of the bars here cater to what is becoming one of the major drivers of the HCMC economy, the 20 something Vietnamese young person. The views of the city were immaculate and the EDM music was awesome. We then made a tour through the skyscrapers of Saigon and their roof bars.
When I look at Saigon I see the way the world is changing. Places like the US and Europe are so completely saturated that now much of their populations are having to spread across the other developing parts of the world (South America, Asia, Australia) in search for new opportunities. Its obvious that those notions of "Land of Opportunity" are now changing. The new opportunity lies in the developing world that we were once a part of as a nation. Saigon is an example of that. It has blown up. Tons of visitors and new companies, have caused locals and foreign firms to respond in entrepreneurial ways, responding to the needs and creating solutions. The travelers have led to much more sophisticated, world-savvy salespeople at the market, a steady hotel industry, the revamping of tourist attractions, and entertainment that caters to all different segments. The rising middle class, expats and more educated population has led to nice housing, improvements in healthcare, a great modern cuisine, diverse industries from fashion to education, and with all the new stuff, there is still so much opportunity. I look at Svay Reng, not far over the border in Cambodia, and I see small progress, at so much slower of a rate than Saigon. There are significant infrastructure steps that need to take place first before any of the larger scale growth can occur. But nonetheless I have found as an American that I can look at the rest of the world with nothing but optimism. I have an innate ability as instilled in a young age to solve problems and to be creative. America fosters Entrepreneurial thinking and I think that is shown by how many young Americans are achieving this in other countries where they are snagging opportunities missed by the locals.
It isn't just Americans that are sparking the change however. I witnessed some of the greatest examples of Cambodian and Vietnamese ingenuity across multiple industries. It isn't just NGOs like Kone Kmeng or Streets International or the Artisans D'Ankgor that are moving the wheels in the economy. Its companies like Yen Dung or Zalora that are making the innovations. They are providing jobs, providing steady pay-checks, and ultimately moving it along as well. We need all of the above in order to keep Southeast Asia moving. The people in the US that think capitalism is evil need to take a look at how empowering people to solve their own problems is making places like Vietnam grow and change.
Americans need more perspective. We have it pretty damned great. Weekends off of work, high standard of living, programs to at least attempt to combat poverty. Vietnam and Cambodia changed my life. I now look at all the material goods I once craved with disgust. After all, T-shirts worth $20 dollars in the clearance aisle in TJ Maxx are worth $4 dollars in Vietnam. Why is that? What am I paying for in the US that is so different there. Well yes there is that shipping fee. Its made over there. But where the real waste comes into play is the dollars that go towards that expensive storefront, that piss-poor service at TJ Maxx, and the intellectual property of the brand name. In Vietnam, I saw a homeless man wearing a Dolce and Gabbana hat. I saw a homeless woman in Cambodia wearing Michael Kohrs. That is because those clothes we value so much over here, are actually worthless. They make them cheaply on a massive scale in Asia. The homeless man in Asia isn't in need of clothes, or shoes, because they are everywhere.
I thought about a resource that is valuable in Asia, but so wasted and disrespected here. I remember buying water for the same price I'd pay in the US. That means for Cambodians and Vietnamese, in reference to their purchasing power, it is far more expensive for them than us. That bottle of Dasani water is a precious resource. In the US, we have clean drinkable water in swimming pools in Scottsdale. In West Virginia, we have pristine mountain rivers receiving the runoff from industrial sites. In Svay Reng we saw people drinking dangerous water from wells right next to their outhouses. We saw people that look like they barely eat everyday. Indeed, in the US, we are free from wars despite playing such a large part in them. In America, we are free from genocide. Most of us are free from street violence. If there is any lesson that I can bring back with me is that there is a world of opportunity out there, but also that here in America, we are so fortunate to live the way we do. I learned so much about supply chains, customer relations, labor productivity, management, negotiation, bargaining, entrepreneurial opportunities, the necessities, and the luxuries, all in ways that further my general business knowledge. I also now think I better understand what it takes to change a place like West Virginia for the better, from a place that once exemplified cyclical poverty.
These were the gold chopsticks from Reaching Out! I loved coming back to the US with some very cool gifts and trinkets such as...
This stuff is amazing- I purchased this at the senteurs D'Angkor. It is a Cambodian specialty, lemongrass tea.
Chopsticks I purchased from the Artisans in Siem Reap
A lucky traditional necklace from rural Vietnam sold to me at the HCMC market
Faux-los (Fake Polos) were pretty easy to find
The kimono I now wear daily from Hoi An
Had some shoes made in Hoi An
Bulgari watch in Vietnam- $40
Making everyone think you paid $150- Priceless!
Bought this in Siem Reap, for two dollars! This would be 40 in the US!
The bamboo hat the Japanese woman gave me
Stunning Canvas painting from Ankgor Wat
Beautiful canvas from Siem Reep
West Virginia Worldwide: From country to cultured in one study abroad trip.
We had so many laughs. This group was hilarious and travelling together, we all bonded so much.
Cam and I get our cool-down on.
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