5 Star Shipping

This morning was the most delicious of the trip so far. We visited the first 5 star hotel in Saigon, New World, for Vietnamese cooking lessons. The lessons involved wrapping spring rolls and was pretty simple, but the lunch afterwards was what really made my morning. All you can eat sushi, fish, beef, sausage, fruit, desserts, and much much more. My favorite was the bread and cheese because for the whole trip we have been eating phenomenal bread, thanks to the French colonization, but never with cheese because true dairy is basically non existent in Vietnamese cuisine. So that baguette with brie couldn't have tasted any better.

After lunch we headed to Saigon Newport Corporation, a massive port shipping company run by the Vietnamese navy. We were given a presentation and a tour of a port near HCMC. The major point I drew from this was that the success of government run companies relies on the patriotism of their workers. Our guide explained that even though she is in a high managerial position, she makes equal or less than workers out on the docks, like crane operators. She explained that she does this because she feels that she is advancing her nations economy and making it stronger. This mentality is ideal for any communist nation as working for the betterment of your country is crucial. From this discussion I was better able to grasp how Vietnam functions under communist rule economically. While many thriving businesses are private and operate on capitalist values, state owned corporations also play a crucial role in the economy and are driven by nationalism.