Vietnam

Having to say goodbye to our tour guide Lu :(

Hands down my favorite day of the trip so far. We had an American business journalist come and speak to us about what he does, his views on the Vietnamese economy and what it's like to live abroad. He had some very interesting points to make. As good as he was, this was not what made the day so awesome! Following this meeting we checked out of our hotel and rode a bus to the United States consulate, which is essentially an extension of the embassy located in Hanoi. Here we were able to meet with Vietnamese students who come to the embassy in order to practice their English. The consulate marketed our arrival and the response by students was overwhelming. The room was packed to the brim with students just clamoring to talk to us. I honestly felt like a celebrity! We divided into groups and were able to talk to many individually and let them ask anything they would like about the United States and the lives we live. This experience was incredible eye opening to see just how enthusiastic these students my age were to hear about the life I live, and just how truly blessed I am to live where I do. These students had incredible questions about Utah State, the US, my political views, and what I love about their country. When it was time for us to leave, it was honestly a struggle! No one in the group wanted to go. There was so many more people we could have spoken to, and heard from. If it wasn't for our flight to Hanoi leaving later that afternoon, I'm sure we all would have stayed for more time. Speaking of the flight, it was a rather horrible experience. Being a domestic Vietnamese flight,

The city of Hanoi as we were landing

we definitely did not receive the kind of service one would get from an American airline. We were all crammed into a small bus to be taken both to and from the airplane, and they DIDN'T EVEN HAVE APPLE JUICE! I was appalled. Regardless, I slept the entire two hour flight and have now arrived safely at our hotel. It is called the Tirant Hanoi, and is by far the nicest place I have ever stayed before. It even has a waterfall shower head! No word yet on what the city of Hanoi is like... I shall let you know ASAP! Goodnight!

Poor little Spencer…asleep before takeoff!