Viet Nam Plus 3: Karaoke is....fun??

Today we woke up, at another delicious breakfast and then went to Vietnamese class. This class was an interesting class, because we learned how to barter. We first reviewed our numbers and then learned basic sentences that would help us in a market setting. Our teacher even had us play this one game to work on listening to numbers and identifying which number was being said. I don’t think I ever really understood the rules, but it was still I really fun game.

After class, we got to put our bartering knowledge to the test. We went to the Ben Tanh Market, where we got to shop and barter a little bit. The set up was like a huge indoor flea market in America, only with about 3 times as many vendors squeezed in. I really enjoyed it for a while, but there got to be a few points where it got a little overwhelming if you didn’t take a break. I also made sure that I only brought 500,000 Dong with me (about 23ish dollars), so even if I felt like I got cornered and spent it all, I only had that much to spend.

I would definitely classify these shop owners marketing techniques as “aggressive selling.” As you walk through the cramped and tight corridors, the owners would constantly tap you on the shoulder and ask, “do you want to buy t-shirt?” or something of that nature. There were a few times where I walked past about 15 shops and every owner did that exact thing… it was like hardcore déjà vu hit me at the end on the line and I needed to take a breather.

There was also one time where a lady chased Cohler for a few shops, just because he paused for a millisecond to look at one of her shirts. For the most part, you walk through and only stop if you see something that catches your eye. The market was definitely a very fun experience and I got a few cool things, but it also took a toll on my sanity.

In the afternoon, we went to an NGO (non governmental organization) called Vena Capital. The company was really cool, and although none of us studied it before trip, I’m very glad we made the trip. The basic set up of the company is 2 large divisions. The main division is Vena Capital Group, which is an investment firm – investing in small to midsize businesses. There were 2 guys from this sector, the CIO and another executive, who talked to this end of the company.

The other end of the company was something that was of much more interest to me. It was the Vena Capital Foundation (technically they aren’t a ‘foundation,’ but actually just a charitable agency). The main goals of the foundation are to provide medical aid to those in poverty as well as fund education for girls in poverty. Although Vietnam claims 10% of poverty (Vietnam Standards), the real number is around 20% (according to international standards). The foundation ultimately aims to reduce poverty. One of the ways they see it possible to do this is through funding girl’s high school and college educations.

Their reasoning is very interesting. They note that if they give money for the education of a man, one more man is educated. Educating a woman does more than just that. The woman then takes her knowledge back to her community and spreads it to children and the whole community. They hope that educating many women will help poverty stricken communities, ultimately lowering poverty.

I really enjoyed this company visit, because of the philosophy behind the company. The men running this investment group do not aim to maximize profits for their own benefits, but rather for the people of rural Vietnam. Social responsibility is definitely one of the biggest characteristics of Vena Capital Foundation. The investment group covers all overhead costs of the foundation, so that 100% of all donations go to the intended source, something that has been growingly questioned in American charities recently.

After the visit, Bo took us out to dinner again where we got pancakes. Vietnamese pancakes are different than the ones I’m used to though. The easiest way to describe them is kind of like a rice-omelet with shrimp, squid, and peppers on the inside. Once again, loved it. We then went to karaoke, which was surprisingly a blast. We had our own little private room and - between our Vietnamese friends and us - we filled it up. The style of the room was very fancy, which was a little confusing but also made it more fun.