Day 3 Ho Chi Minh City

Just another day at the "office" in Vietnam. We visited the Loyola University Chicago Center and met with the founder and CEO of Vinamit, a dried fruit company. He spoke to us about how he created a private business in a Communist country. What struck me most about his story was how he is "living the American dream." His parents were in the lowest group, so he saved money to be educated in Taiwan. After finishing school, he returned to Vietnam and built his business from the ground up.

What is amazing to me is that he practically demands the freedom to run his business in any manner he chooses, but he seems content to not have the same freedoms when it comes to government. Having grown up in the United States, it is hard for me to separate the two.

I enjoyed learning more about the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program (FETP) at the Harvard Fulbright Center. It was established in 1994 by a group of U.S. senators who are also veterans to teach market economics to the Vietnamese. The Center began offering a master's degree in public policy in 2008. I was surprised to learn FETP has open courseware. All faculty post their materials on the web, giving other schools in Vietnam access to the materials and the curriculum. This is possible because FETP negotiated complete autonomy from the government, but in return FETP must be completely transparent.

Each class for the master's program has 65 students, and about 55 students graduate. Admission is quite competitive, but preference is given to those working in the public sector. Tuition is $20,000 per year, and all students are on scholarship and receive a monthly stipend.

Our last visit of the day was to Saigon South, which is a mixed-use planned community. It some ways it felt like Las Vegas, and it definitely reminded me why I'm not a fan. The presentation reminded me of something you might hear if you agree to consider a "time share."

Tomorrow we head to the beach for the day. It's a tough job I know, but someone's got to do it.