I may come back and edit these – I’m working on about 2 hours of sleep over the past 30, and my thoughts may not coherent after I read them tomorrow…

Has my trip changed my perception of Vietnam? Absolutely…it is an interesting study of a modern interpretation of a national governance model that has largely disappeared. It wasn’t that long ago that the cold war was the largest threat to the U.S. I still remember reading the Civil Defense booklet in my family’s bookcase that talked about “duck and cover” and provided detailed plans for a do-it-yourself bomb shelter. Seems now the biggest threat is from terrorism and not world domination.

Update – Toby just found the World Series on the TV in the lounge we are spending some time in. We can’t read the names but I think we can follow the game just fine. Somehow the fact that we can watch the World Series live 12 timezones away from Arlington, TX seems normal – and that’s a good thing.

Halong Bay

This is a typical formation in the bay – huge limestone islands (officially limestone karsts – Geology 101 comes in handy) are spread over 1500 square kilometers off the northern coast of Vietnam. Halong means “descending dragon”, where the karsts resemble the pinnacles on the back of a dragon descending into the water.

Halong Bay - from the entrance to Hang Đầu Gỗ (Wooden stakes cave)

We visited Hang Đầu Gỗ (Wooden stakes cave) – the largest of several caves in the area. We walked up steps carved into the side of the karst to the entrance and then toured the cave. Very large and still active, with fresh water still making formations. Unfortunately, modern society has also left its scars in the form of graffiti and commercialization.

Halong Bay Sunset

The weather has been fantastic since Wednesday, and it continued into Saturday with a clear night for stargazing and an opportunity to enjoy the sunset. The night on the junk was very nice – cool enough to open the windows and enjoy fresh air.

The road between Halong Bay and Hanoi is an adventure in itself – there are several stops to “rest and refresh” and also to buy souvenirs and art. Did I mention the road, and the tendency for tour bus drivers to take the path of least resistance – regardless of the road condition, traffic lanes and oncoming traffic? Riding and driving in Vietnam is one of those areas where you “roll with it” and hope that the Vietnamese keen sense of situational awareness is working well that day.

Halong Bay is a global treasure and should be experienced if you are in Vietnam. As in all things that are special in the world, there is a sense of exploitation, but we as a species are guilty of this (ever driven to Mount Rushmore and encountered the blizzard of signs for Wonderland Cave?). So, look for the stunning and unique, and downplay the commercialism – enjoy the beauty of Halong Bay.

Do you start your meetings with a private concert? Maybe you should consider it, Mr Nguyen Vu did it for the Boise State EMBA students.

Pianist at Trung Nguyen Coffee Creativity Center

Pianist and Violinist at Trung Nguyen Coffee

Dr. Nancy Napier and Mr. Nguyen Vu

Dr. Nancy Napier and Mr Nguyen Vu at the Trung Nguyen Coffee Creativity Center

Boise State EMBA at Trung Nguyen Coffee

Trung Nguyen Coffee Creativity Center

The Creativity Center in the hustle and bustle of Hanoi – what a place to come to find some peace and have a energetic and creative session.

Portraits from Coffee Beans

–Eddie

Warm Welcome

Such a warm welcome!

MK Sign

Nancy and Kirk

Citroen

The 40 year old French limo was not for Hilary C coming to the ASEAN meeting that is going on right now, but for Dr. Nancy and Dr. Kirk.

Mr. Khang - CEO and BSU Grad

Mr. Khang hosting us, what a phenomenal businessman and of course a BSU graduate.

–Eddie

Nice Words

Mike finally gets to say a few nice words and he delivers very well.

Art

A Vietnamese piece of art offered to BSU by one of our local Vietnamese grads and made by his family.

EMBA3 Alumni Dinner

Professor and Student

Gift Presentation

Toast

More Photos

Go Broncos!

VIetnam Boise State MBA Alum

Nancy

“lk heb geen idee wat er aan de hand is, weten jullie het? ” – In English “I have no idea what’s going on, you know it?”

Boise State MBA Alumni Dinner

Alum

Showing BSU Colors - she was at the Virginia Tech game in September!

Cheryl

More Alumni and EMBA3 Students

Fitting Symbol of the BSU-Vietnam Connection

What a great party, thank you Alumni, nice to meet new friends.

-Eddie

Cheryl

Cheryl, you must really love the schedule . . .

Mike and Brian

Did we really elect him as our spokesperson??

U.S. Embassy Car

U.S. Motorcade – no, Hillary is not here (yet).

Helicopter

Look closely . . . U.S. Army on door, but it says U.S. Air Force at back – confusing??

Carl

Carl, the perpetual Wing-Man . . .

No Thanks

How do you say, “NO, THANK YOU!” in Vietnamese??

Tomato Juice

Tomato Juice – ala Vietnam . . .

Gary

Do I have something on my face?

Window Shopping

Not even sure what to say . . .

Beer Delivery

Ahhhh . . . cold beer delivered from up above!

-Kayce

We’ve had wonderful opportunities for people watching here. The Vietnamese are a very beautiful people!

Bakery

The bakery – with the most incredible sweet bread!!

Local Women

Two beautiful local women outside the Catholic cathedral that we stumbled upon.

Little girl

A little girl with a “smile” for us!

Young Friend

A young friend encountered in the Ho Chi Minh Museum

Local Watering Hole

Thuy, a very young-looking 36 year old from Ha Noi, and Rick and Julie – two travelers who just arrived from Switzerland. We had to try out the local seating!

More to come . . .

-Kayce

Vibrant, intoxicating, exotic. All these words could be used to describe Hanoi, yet none of them seems completely adequate. The place is rich and alive in ways that are difficult to capture. We’ve had several intense days of meetings, walking about the city, great experiences with our fellow students, the sites (and sights) of the city, and the people that we’ve travelled to meet. And as of mid-day Wednesday, we’re just half through. Among the cultural sites we’ve seen are the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Temple of Literature (a monument of Confucian teaching), and the exterior of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Stellae of the Doctors

–John K

The Hanoi Opera House and a dragon from flowers, along the lake. More to come – heading off to the U.S. Embassy today…

Hanoi Opera House

Dragon

The last five of us arrived more or less together late last night.  We spent today getting oriented to the market district within a few kilometers of the hotel.  Hanoi is amazing.  The traffic is bustling and we’re already seeing the most interesting things.  And we’re doing our part for the local economy by making purchases:  pearls seem to be very popular among the team.

Vietnam version of Reddy Kilowatt

Had to take a snapshot of the Vietnamese version of Reddi Kilowatt. This fellow is posted near a distribution transformer.  He’s not nearly as friendly as Reddi, but he clearly conveys the point in any language…

More later, the whole team is assembling for dinner.

—John K