Today we went to UEF in the morning and learned about culture in Vietnam. The professor giving the lecture was very entertaining and interested in the topic, so it was great to hear the stories and the supplemental information he offered. All of the speakers have been very good and it is great that they take time out of their day to come talk to us. In the afternoon we went to the U.S. consulate of Ho Chi Minh City to learn about what they do and how they interact with the Vietnamese government.
We met with three consulate officials today and heard a little bit about each of their jobs, then we were able to ask questions of our own. The questions we asked ranged from economic progress to what college they went to in the U.S.. They also told us that they are scrambling to get ready for a visit from President Obama to Vietnam and told us about how they prepare for that. There are over 1500 people who travel with the president and there are many logistics that must be covered. These include where the president will speak, what hotel he will be in, his security detail, his transportation, and what policy changes they want him to focus on. It is a very hectic time for them because they have to coordinate this on top of their daily workload.
It was also good to hear about Vietnamese culture and policy from other Americans who work in politics. Some of the recent policy changes that they are focusing on are the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership (TPP), human rights, and preservation of the Mekong Delta. They told us that their relationship with the government is very good and has only improved since the Vietnamese switched to a capitalist economy in 1991. Vietnam’s high economic growth rate has helped their country modernize and has allowed their citizens to enjoy a higher standard of living. This is partially due to trade with the U.S. and other countries. Another factor that the consulate officials talked about was how many of the Vietnamese people want to study abroad or see family in the U.S. One of the officials said that there are 800 people a day that they interview that are applying for visas to the U.S. This shows how favorably the Vietnamese view our society and economy, and that the rules are strict to let them come into our country. Diplomatic relations with Vietnam seem to be good and they have improved over time. However, there are still issues that we do not agree on such as human rights and governing style. With time these issues will change and we may come closer to agreements on them.
It was good to interact with other Americans that were not on the trip because we could talk about the culture differences and compare/contrast US and Vietnamese society. We could connect on many issues and this visit gave us a great view into political relations with Vietnam.
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