{"id":7841,"date":"2025-09-10T15:33:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T19:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/?p=7841"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:36:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T19:36:56","slug":"my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/","title":{"rendered":"My Summer in Vietnam: An Awakening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I like to do things on impulse. After my first meeting about this opportunity and talking to a couple of people about a business trip to Vietnam, I called my mom, and I asked her: \u201cCan I go to Vietnam this summer?\u201d Maybe she thought I was joking, but she said yes. I didn\u2019t hesitate to submit my application, and suddenly I found myself doing research in a whole new country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would like to say I loved it at first, but I hadn\u2019t. My world hadn\u2019t opened up fully in the beginning. I had to deal with a whole new environment bustling with people who looked like me but couldn\u2019t speak the same language while also juggling relationships with other students abroad, not all of which were particularly friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7849\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-7-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1719958692&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.04&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7849\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-7.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7847\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-5-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1719679532&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00010199918400653&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7847\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-5.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7843\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-8-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1720283019&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7843\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7843\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-8.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7845\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-3-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1718646011&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.03030303030303&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7845\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7845\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-3.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-attachment-id=\"7851\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-1-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,853\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-6000&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1719056844&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;800&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"7851\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1-610x407.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But above all, I remember the good times. I took trips to places that came out of a movie screen, ate foods I\u2019d never be able to afford elsewhere, and made friendships with people I\u2019d never have met if I hadn\u2019t looked at my email that one day and decided to just give going a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vietnam was my home for those two months. I kayaked the mystifying Ha Long Bay of the North, the lantern-lit streams of Hanoi in the Center, and the murky rivers of the Mekong Delta in the South. Having traversed all these places, I still found my love to remain in Saigon where there was an abundance of food, shopping, and entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of my favorite things to do was go out to eat or shop in unsuspecting, dilapidated buildings or alleyways. Places like the Cafe apartments, 26 Ly Tu Trong, and the Underground were some of my favorite places to go to for this reason, allowing me to find unique clothing and satiating foodie spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7846\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-4-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1719056061&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008347245409015&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7846\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7846\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-4.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7850\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-9-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1720288042&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;7.2998029053216E-5&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7850\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-9.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"7844\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-10-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"960,1280\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10-768x1024.jpg\" data-id=\"7844\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7844\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10-580x773.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10-610x813.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-10.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-attachment-id=\"7848\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-6-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,960\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1719688793&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.86&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.03030303030303&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6-1024x768.jpg\" data-id=\"7848\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6-580x435.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6-610x458.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-6.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-attachment-id=\"7842\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/vietnam-2-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,853\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vietnam\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-id=\"7842\" src=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7842\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2-610x407.jpg 610w, https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/files\/2025\/09\/Vietnam-2.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The things I remember the most, though, were the relationships I made with not just my UTC students but with the people I met in Vietnam. The local buddies became my friends. They hung out with us and made us laugh. They celebrated our birthdays, and we celebrated theirs. I even attended one of their graduations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only that, I remember the other people I met during my time there like a girl from the UK with a love of writing but no free time, or that girl from Norway who left her pre-law dreams to move to America, or the sweet girl from Vermont who woke up early every morning just to see the sun rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It changes your mind how easily things change, how much you can feel, how much you can learn. I came into this internship expecting to feel rejuvenated about my career path in life, and now I question it. Where I thought I wanted to be and what I\u2019d experienced when actually being\u2013how could I be so sure of anything?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A conversation came up once while I was out enjoying the nightlife of Saigon. There were no stars, but nowhere is ever dark in that city. I was asked: \u201cHey Victoria, where do you want to be in life?\u201d I didn\u2019t have an answer, but all I could think was that at that moment, studying abroad in Vietnam, was right where I wanted to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Victoria Lac (BS Biology, Pre-Professional) spent the Summer 2024 semester studying abroad in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam through\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/worldstrides.com\/en-us\/higher-ed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WorldStrides<\/a>. Victoria had the following to say about studying abroad, \u201cIf you&#8217;re already thinking about studying abroad, all it takes is one impulse to bring you out of your comfort zone and into a world of spectacular opportunities. Autonomy is more than knowing you have choices. It&#8217;s making those choices too.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"_azDde2HfDKfWND\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UTCglobal\/\">Like us on Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"_2fknc0VwZBYe3o\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/utcglobal\">Follow us on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"_dp9EO44T8pbyHc\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/utcglobal\">Follow us on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Share this post:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I like to do things on impulse. After my first meeting about this opportunity and talking to a couple of people about a business trip to Vietnam, I called my mom, and I asked her: \u201cCan I go to Vietnam this summer?\u201d Maybe she thought I was joking, but she said yes. I didn\u2019t hesitate&hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-wrap\"><span><a class=\"more-link button text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/center-global-education\/2025\/09\/10\/my-summer-in-vietnam-an-awakening\/\"><span>Continue Reading <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1215,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6740,48248],"tags":[73812,73822,73811,73813],"class_list":{"0":"post-7841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-center-for-global-education","7":"category-study-abroad","8":"tag-global-education","9":"tag-global-mocs","10":"tag-mocs-abroad","11":"tag-wanderlust","12":"entry","13":"has-post-thumbnail"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>My Summer in Vietnam: An Awakening - Center for Global Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Summer in Vietnam: An Awakening - Center for Global Education Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I like to do things on impulse. 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