First Day in Vietnam with Daniel!

Hello! My name is Daniel Kim, and I am one of the eight ILR students travelling to Ho Chi Minh City to study at Ton Duc Thang University, located in District 7 in Vietnam. We will also be exploring the city, hearing from representatives from international NGOs and governmental institutions, and getting to know the Ton Duc Thang students through a debate tournament led by Cornell Debate Program. We hope that these blog posts give current Cornell students the opportunity to experience a bit of what our team learns and inspires future Cornell students to take part in this wonderful program.

The first day of the program officially began at 8:30am with the welcome ceremony hosted by Ton Duc Thang University. However, as most of the team was still jetlagged we got up around 6-7. I got a Bahn Bao for breakfast in the cafeteria before the ceremony. The ceremony began with speeches by Dean Hoa, Ton Duc Thang’s Dean of Labor Relations and Trade Unions, Ms. Vinh, a faculty member, and Professor Richard Fincher. Students sang traditional songs to us and one of the Vietnamese students explained to me that their culture was filled with singing as a way to express themselves. We reciprocated the performances by singing our own song. The ceremony ended with an ice breaker session where we learned the names of everyone in our groups and their favorite and most awkward experiences.

We proceeded to have a guest lecture from Mrs. Tran Thi Lan Ahn, a member of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). We learned of the HR challenges for employers in Vietnam and discussed the relationship between the workers, government, and management. Our afternoon lecture by Richard Fincher covered topics of Vietnamese labor relations in the global garment production process and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs.

The day culminated in a tour of the campus and dinner at a local restaurant. It was a very packed day, but I was excited for the days to come. - Daniel