For now this will my last blog post. I have been home a week and am still feeling the effects of the trip both positive and negative. The jet lag has been horrible and I haven't fully slept a full night yet and I've been fighting off and on all week with the stomach bug. On a positive note, as I share my pictures and stories with friends and family what I gained from the trip far outweighs the lasting effects I'm experiencing now.
I feel like I am still processing everything and will be for a time to come. But again, I can say it was an incredible experience that I will recall fondly for the rest of my life. I feel lucky to have shared it with such a great group of people who I will forever be connected to through this experience.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Beijing
After a few hours of sleep we were on the bus headed to the Great Wall. It was a quiet bus ride considering the lack of sleep the night before. Looking out the window at Beijing you can already tell that Beijing is very different from Shanghai. Shanghai is the much more modern city with Beijing having a much older world feel. Still a big Tier 1 city, Beijing looks much older than Shanghai and there are far fewer high rises and big buildings.
When we arrived at the Great Wall, even from afar it is quite an astounding site. We took the chair lift up to the wall and it was quite beautiful. We certainly lucked out with a beautiful day and it felt like you could see for miles. It is hard to put into words what the experience was like but it is probably one of the most incredible places that I have ever been to. The pictures don't even do it justice.
After we took the toboggan down from the wall we were treated to a beautiful lunch at a restaurant with an incredible view of the wall. The owner was so proud of his restaurant and hotel, he gave us a tour of the whole place. All of the rooms have beautiful views of the mountains and the wall. After experiencing the business visits and cultural visits it is clear that the Chinese people are very proud of their work and heritage like the Vietnamese people.
Next stop after the drive back to the city was the Forbidden City. I couldn't believe how big it was, you expect an Emperor's Palace to be large but this was incredible. All of the buildings and architecture were very beautiful. Because of the size of our group and how quite our guide was moving it was very difficult to hear all about the palace.
On the other side of the Forbidden City was Tianeman Square. This was the only place on the whole trip where we saw any military presence and it was also the place where I felt like I was in a Communist country. Having seen the site so many times on television it was eerie to see it in real life. Another impressive site.
Our final stop before our last dinner was the Pearl Market and more opportunity to shop. Again the market was much better than in Vietnam. We spent most of our time up in the jewelry section which is much less aggressive than the lower levels. I still had some trouble negotiating but luckily one of my classmates helped me negotiate my pearl purchase.
Our final dinner was nice, although I think we were all exhausted and ready to be headed to home I think we were all sad to be saying goodbye. I have to agree with the sentiments expressed by everyone at the dinner and I do think that the effects that this time have had on us will only become apparent over time. For me, it was an incredible experience, probably once in a lifetime for me, as I don't know that I would have gotten to Asia otherwise. I feel priviledged that we were able to experience two countries in a very unique way, but I won't lie I am happy to be headed home.
When we arrived at the Great Wall, even from afar it is quite an astounding site. We took the chair lift up to the wall and it was quite beautiful. We certainly lucked out with a beautiful day and it felt like you could see for miles. It is hard to put into words what the experience was like but it is probably one of the most incredible places that I have ever been to. The pictures don't even do it justice.
After we took the toboggan down from the wall we were treated to a beautiful lunch at a restaurant with an incredible view of the wall. The owner was so proud of his restaurant and hotel, he gave us a tour of the whole place. All of the rooms have beautiful views of the mountains and the wall. After experiencing the business visits and cultural visits it is clear that the Chinese people are very proud of their work and heritage like the Vietnamese people.
Next stop after the drive back to the city was the Forbidden City. I couldn't believe how big it was, you expect an Emperor's Palace to be large but this was incredible. All of the buildings and architecture were very beautiful. Because of the size of our group and how quite our guide was moving it was very difficult to hear all about the palace.
On the other side of the Forbidden City was Tianeman Square. This was the only place on the whole trip where we saw any military presence and it was also the place where I felt like I was in a Communist country. Having seen the site so many times on television it was eerie to see it in real life. Another impressive site.
Our final dinner was nice, although I think we were all exhausted and ready to be headed to home I think we were all sad to be saying goodbye. I have to agree with the sentiments expressed by everyone at the dinner and I do think that the effects that this time have had on us will only become apparent over time. For me, it was an incredible experience, probably once in a lifetime for me, as I don't know that I would have gotten to Asia otherwise. I feel priviledged that we were able to experience two countries in a very unique way, but I won't lie I am happy to be headed home.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Last Day in Shanghai
Thursday was our last day in Shanghai and it didn't start out too great for me. I started the day with some of the stomach issues that have been plaguing the rest of the group. But with a full day of siteseeing in Shanghai and a flight to Beijing that night I had to pull myself together to head out for the day.
First stop, the Jade Buddha Temple. It turns out that it was the equivalent of a holy day in Buddhism so the temple was packed with worshippers. At first I thought it was a bad decision to be going to the temple on a day like that but it was interesting to be able to see people practicing their religion. As we moved through the different rooms people were paying respect and making offerings. It is quite different than church on a Catholic holy day. The temple was beautiful and the Jade Buddha was incredible. No pictures were allowed of the Jade Buddha but below are a few pics of the outside of the temple.
Our next stop on the Shanghai express was old Chinatown and some market shopping. As we approached the market I was hoping that this market experience would be much better than the one in Vietnam. Luckily, it was, there was still a lot of hustle and bustle but the market was open and the sellers were not nearly as aggressive as in Vietnam. We went to the silk market first and then the pearl market, where less negotiation is allowed. I almost found this relieving, I had a hard time bartering prices with the vendors and I'm sure I overpaid for some items. I'm glad it was a better experience than in Vietnam. Next on the agenda, lunch, which did not go well for me. I thought I was feeling better but after all of the various smells of the food I was feeling horrible after lunch which led me to skip out on the next 2 stops, the Bund and the Urban Planning Museum. I wasn't too upset about missing the Bund since I had seen at night and think that is a much more impressive view.
Our last stop on the tour was the Jin Mao Tower, next to the World Financial Center, an 88-story building. The views at the top were incredible and on a completely clear day I think it would have even been better.
To top off our day we took the magnet train to the airport, an 8-minute train ride replaced an hour bus ride to the airport. Unfortunately our flight ended up delayed for about 2 hours and by the time we arrived in Beijing, got our bags, and then got to the hotel it was 3:00am. As we were standing in the hotel lobby waiting for our keys and passports to be scanned I couldn't help wondering if the trip to the Great Wall would be worth it.
First stop, the Jade Buddha Temple. It turns out that it was the equivalent of a holy day in Buddhism so the temple was packed with worshippers. At first I thought it was a bad decision to be going to the temple on a day like that but it was interesting to be able to see people practicing their religion. As we moved through the different rooms people were paying respect and making offerings. It is quite different than church on a Catholic holy day. The temple was beautiful and the Jade Buddha was incredible. No pictures were allowed of the Jade Buddha but below are a few pics of the outside of the temple.
Our next stop on the Shanghai express was old Chinatown and some market shopping. As we approached the market I was hoping that this market experience would be much better than the one in Vietnam. Luckily, it was, there was still a lot of hustle and bustle but the market was open and the sellers were not nearly as aggressive as in Vietnam. We went to the silk market first and then the pearl market, where less negotiation is allowed. I almost found this relieving, I had a hard time bartering prices with the vendors and I'm sure I overpaid for some items. I'm glad it was a better experience than in Vietnam. Next on the agenda, lunch, which did not go well for me. I thought I was feeling better but after all of the various smells of the food I was feeling horrible after lunch which led me to skip out on the next 2 stops, the Bund and the Urban Planning Museum. I wasn't too upset about missing the Bund since I had seen at night and think that is a much more impressive view.
Our last stop on the tour was the Jin Mao Tower, next to the World Financial Center, an 88-story building. The views at the top were incredible and on a completely clear day I think it would have even been better.
To top off our day we took the magnet train to the airport, an 8-minute train ride replaced an hour bus ride to the airport. Unfortunately our flight ended up delayed for about 2 hours and by the time we arrived in Beijing, got our bags, and then got to the hotel it was 3:00am. As we were standing in the hotel lobby waiting for our keys and passports to be scanned I couldn't help wondering if the trip to the Great Wall would be worth it.
Bullet Train to Hangzhou
Another early day today, we are taking the bullet train to Hangzhou, a Tier 2 city. We have both a cultural visit and 2 business visits lined up for the day.
First stop was the Longjing Tea Village. It was a beautiful drive up to the Tea Village, a big change from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. Lots of trees and small villages lined the road up to the Tea Village. Our guide told us that the area is a weekend getaway for many people in the city, which was not surprising.
At the Tea Village we learned about the process of making green tea and then learned from Dr. Tea about the properties of green tea and the differences between the different types. We sampled some of the best tea that I have had in China so far and then a lot of us bought some of the most expensive tea that we have ever bought or probably will buy. If the whole thing was a sales pitch, like some of our classmates thought, then Dr. Tea is the best salesman around. Even if it was only a pitch I was able to get a few gifts for folks at home when I bought the pound of tea to bring home. It was a nice change of pace since the majority of our time in Shanghai has been focused on business visits.
After another traditional Chinese lunch we headed to Geely Motors, a Chinese car manufacturer most recently known for their purchase of Volvo. Geely primarily sells cars in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. After looking around the showroom it was clear that their car models all resemble other successful car models. Their best seller is a dead ringer for the Toyota Camry. In their business presentation they presented several new models of car that they are planning to introduce over the next few years. I think their business strategy is not very strong, they are focusing on too much innovation instead of finding a gap in the market and using it to their advantage. In my opinion they need to focus on one or two models that are needed in the market and then mass produce those. It will be interesting to see how Geely proceeds now that they have purchased Volvo. There is already press around the differing management of the Chinese owner and German operator. It will be interesting to see how this situation progresses.
Our last stop was the Asian American Amity Association. Because we needed to make our train, it was a very quick stop. Due to the rushed nature of the visit I walked out not completely sure what the AAAA does. It was clear that everyone we met with was proud of the work that they do. From what we heard my assumption was that they aid Americans trying to do business in China and pair investors and businesses after they research the Chinese businesses. Unfortunately we didn't have much time for questions there to better understand their role. We were all excited to have the last of our business visits done. Personally, I am about ready to head home, it has been a great trip but I am exhausted and a little homesick at this point.
From there it was back to the train and back to Shanghai. A little tired of traditional Chinese food we ventured out for some pizza tonight. It wasn't bad, especially considering it is hard to get good pizza outside of NJ in the US. Siteseeing in Shanghai tomorrow and late flight to Beijing, then the long journey home.
First stop was the Longjing Tea Village. It was a beautiful drive up to the Tea Village, a big change from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai. Lots of trees and small villages lined the road up to the Tea Village. Our guide told us that the area is a weekend getaway for many people in the city, which was not surprising.
At the Tea Village we learned about the process of making green tea and then learned from Dr. Tea about the properties of green tea and the differences between the different types. We sampled some of the best tea that I have had in China so far and then a lot of us bought some of the most expensive tea that we have ever bought or probably will buy. If the whole thing was a sales pitch, like some of our classmates thought, then Dr. Tea is the best salesman around. Even if it was only a pitch I was able to get a few gifts for folks at home when I bought the pound of tea to bring home. It was a nice change of pace since the majority of our time in Shanghai has been focused on business visits.
After another traditional Chinese lunch we headed to Geely Motors, a Chinese car manufacturer most recently known for their purchase of Volvo. Geely primarily sells cars in Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. After looking around the showroom it was clear that their car models all resemble other successful car models. Their best seller is a dead ringer for the Toyota Camry. In their business presentation they presented several new models of car that they are planning to introduce over the next few years. I think their business strategy is not very strong, they are focusing on too much innovation instead of finding a gap in the market and using it to their advantage. In my opinion they need to focus on one or two models that are needed in the market and then mass produce those. It will be interesting to see how Geely proceeds now that they have purchased Volvo. There is already press around the differing management of the Chinese owner and German operator. It will be interesting to see how this situation progresses.
Our last stop was the Asian American Amity Association. Because we needed to make our train, it was a very quick stop. Due to the rushed nature of the visit I walked out not completely sure what the AAAA does. It was clear that everyone we met with was proud of the work that they do. From what we heard my assumption was that they aid Americans trying to do business in China and pair investors and businesses after they research the Chinese businesses. Unfortunately we didn't have much time for questions there to better understand their role. We were all excited to have the last of our business visits done. Personally, I am about ready to head home, it has been a great trip but I am exhausted and a little homesick at this point.
From there it was back to the train and back to Shanghai. A little tired of traditional Chinese food we ventured out for some pizza tonight. It wasn't bad, especially considering it is hard to get good pizza outside of NJ in the US. Siteseeing in Shanghai tomorrow and late flight to Beijing, then the long journey home.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Shanghai Business Visits Day 2
Tuesday was another full day of business visits in Shanghai. The more time I spend in this city, the more I like it. It is a beautiful, clean city, that is very modern and continuing to grow.
Our first visit this morning was 3M China where we heard from Wayne Xue, Director of Corporate Strategy and Communications. I was very surprised to learn at how diversified that 3M is overall as a company. I was aware of their consumer products division as well as their healthcare division but didn't realize how deep their portfolio was. It is also impressive how much the China division contributes to 3M's overall revenue and is one of 3M's most successful foreign subsidiaries. Based on what we heard I think 3M China is doing a lot right, they are investing in R&D, planning to increase the R&D headcount from 450 to 750 by 2015, they also have very low turnover of employees, so they are obviously a good place to work. The market average in China is 1/3. 3M China also targets up to 70% of supply regionally. I also think their strategy is sound, expecting that the industrial sector will be a major contributor to their short-term growth and that healthcare and the consumer business will be contributors to their long-term growth.
Similar to the Vietnamese, the Chinese business people that we have met with so far all seem very proud of their accomplishments and their businesses. I do think that the Chinese people are a little less warm than the Vietnamese people but everyone we have met with so far have been friendly and very professional.
We had another great lunch today. We were at another mall and found a place that we could get a salad. I was never so happy to have a salad in my entire life.
After lunch it was a stop at the US Consulate located in the office complex of the same mall. Quite different than our visit to the US Consulate in Vietnam, this was much more laid back from a procedural standpoint. We met with Tom Cooney from Public Affairs, Evan Felsing in Economics, and Ki Tin (sp?) in Commerce. One of the most striking things that we heard on this visit to me, was the many Chinas that exist in the country. Shanghai is not really a real reflection of the economy of China, it is one of the showcase cities in China. Tier 2 and 3 cities are markedly different. We will get the chance to see a Tier 2 city tomorrow when we head to Hangzhou.
The team also spoke a bit about US businesses operating in China. With IP issues still looming China may not be the best place where a company's competitive edge is their intellectual property. There are also 2 large issues for companies now, labor costs are increasing and finding good Chinese managers can be difficult. Starting to do business in China is not something that can be done via phone, it requires a presence to get started. The largest opportunity they see is in the services sector, with 80-90% of companies being successful. The message I heard is that there is still opportunity in China but it is not necessarily easy to start up in China. I think this is where Vietnam may begin to have an edge over China, their labor costs are still lower and they have a very young workforce.
The other topic that I found interesting was about education. China is the #1 source country for international students in the US. Although the higher education system in China is good, it is very prestigious to receive an American education. China is clearly benefiting from their students returning home with a quality education. Some of the folks that we have met with already were in fact educated in the US. Overall it was a very interesting and informative visit, it would have been nice to start our business visits off with this visit like we did in Vietnam. I think it would have set the stage well for our other business visits.
Our final visit of the day was the Langham Hotel in the Xintiandi area of the city. The Langham is a luxury hotel in the heart of the nicest areas of the city. We received a full tour of the hotel and it is quite impressive. They are catering to the business professional and providing luxuries to the business traveler. It was also interesting to find out that the area is owned by one investor and his brother. Having been there earlier in the week in the evening it is clearly a successful operation that they are planning to grow even further. The hotel treated us to a very luxurious buffet dinner which was a nice break from all of the traditional Chinese food we have been eating.
We have another full day tomorrow, taking the bullet train to Hangzhou. It's hard to believe our trip is almost coming to an end. So far it has been an enlightening trip where we have met a wealth of interesting people. I expect to be continuing to learn from this experience for a long time to come.
Our first visit this morning was 3M China where we heard from Wayne Xue, Director of Corporate Strategy and Communications. I was very surprised to learn at how diversified that 3M is overall as a company. I was aware of their consumer products division as well as their healthcare division but didn't realize how deep their portfolio was. It is also impressive how much the China division contributes to 3M's overall revenue and is one of 3M's most successful foreign subsidiaries. Based on what we heard I think 3M China is doing a lot right, they are investing in R&D, planning to increase the R&D headcount from 450 to 750 by 2015, they also have very low turnover of employees, so they are obviously a good place to work. The market average in China is 1/3. 3M China also targets up to 70% of supply regionally. I also think their strategy is sound, expecting that the industrial sector will be a major contributor to their short-term growth and that healthcare and the consumer business will be contributors to their long-term growth.
Similar to the Vietnamese, the Chinese business people that we have met with so far all seem very proud of their accomplishments and their businesses. I do think that the Chinese people are a little less warm than the Vietnamese people but everyone we have met with so far have been friendly and very professional.
We had another great lunch today. We were at another mall and found a place that we could get a salad. I was never so happy to have a salad in my entire life.
After lunch it was a stop at the US Consulate located in the office complex of the same mall. Quite different than our visit to the US Consulate in Vietnam, this was much more laid back from a procedural standpoint. We met with Tom Cooney from Public Affairs, Evan Felsing in Economics, and Ki Tin (sp?) in Commerce. One of the most striking things that we heard on this visit to me, was the many Chinas that exist in the country. Shanghai is not really a real reflection of the economy of China, it is one of the showcase cities in China. Tier 2 and 3 cities are markedly different. We will get the chance to see a Tier 2 city tomorrow when we head to Hangzhou.
The team also spoke a bit about US businesses operating in China. With IP issues still looming China may not be the best place where a company's competitive edge is their intellectual property. There are also 2 large issues for companies now, labor costs are increasing and finding good Chinese managers can be difficult. Starting to do business in China is not something that can be done via phone, it requires a presence to get started. The largest opportunity they see is in the services sector, with 80-90% of companies being successful. The message I heard is that there is still opportunity in China but it is not necessarily easy to start up in China. I think this is where Vietnam may begin to have an edge over China, their labor costs are still lower and they have a very young workforce.
The other topic that I found interesting was about education. China is the #1 source country for international students in the US. Although the higher education system in China is good, it is very prestigious to receive an American education. China is clearly benefiting from their students returning home with a quality education. Some of the folks that we have met with already were in fact educated in the US. Overall it was a very interesting and informative visit, it would have been nice to start our business visits off with this visit like we did in Vietnam. I think it would have set the stage well for our other business visits.
Our final visit of the day was the Langham Hotel in the Xintiandi area of the city. The Langham is a luxury hotel in the heart of the nicest areas of the city. We received a full tour of the hotel and it is quite impressive. They are catering to the business professional and providing luxuries to the business traveler. It was also interesting to find out that the area is owned by one investor and his brother. Having been there earlier in the week in the evening it is clearly a successful operation that they are planning to grow even further. The hotel treated us to a very luxurious buffet dinner which was a nice break from all of the traditional Chinese food we have been eating.
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| The future of Xintiandi |
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| This is just the desserts! |
Shanghai Business Visits Day 1
Monday was our first full day in Shanghai and our first day of business visits. I am curious to see the contrast with the visits we had in Vietnam.
Our first stop was Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate developer focusing mainly on commercial real estate inShanghai Shanghai Shanghai China
Although his company doesn’t focus on residential real estate he did give us a very comprehensive overview of the residential market inShanghai Shanghai will face a housing bubble such as what happened in the United States China China US
The commercial and retail markets inShanghai
Our next stop was lunch at theWorld Financial Center China China China
Our afternoon business visit was the one I was looking most forward to on the trip, ShangPharma, a Contract Research Organization. I was expecting that we would be hearing more about outsourcing of clinical trials toChina
Following a long day of visits we all went to the Shanghai Acrobatic Show. It was very much like a Cirque du Soleil show, a great performance. Afterwards some of headed down to the Bund to get a view of Pudong at night. What an impressive sight, especially at night.
That was followed by one of the best and most cost effective things I did on this trip, a massage. A very relaxing way to end a busy day. More business visits on Tuesday.
Our first stop was Jones Lang LaSalle, a real estate developer focusing mainly on commercial real estate in
Although his company doesn’t focus on residential real estate he did give us a very comprehensive overview of the residential market in
The commercial and retail markets in
Our next stop was lunch at the
Our afternoon business visit was the one I was looking most forward to on the trip, ShangPharma, a Contract Research Organization. I was expecting that we would be hearing more about outsourcing of clinical trials to
Following a long day of visits we all went to the Shanghai Acrobatic Show. It was very much like a Cirque du Soleil show, a great performance. Afterwards some of headed down to the Bund to get a view of Pudong at night. What an impressive sight, especially at night.
That was followed by one of the best and most cost effective things I did on this trip, a massage. A very relaxing way to end a busy day. More business visits on Tuesday.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Welcome to Shanghai
Sunday's 4 hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City was a breeze compared to the 15 hours to get to Hong Kong earlier in the week. When we got off the plane the immediate difference between China and Vietnam was the weather, no more humidity.
The city was an about an hour drive from the airport. It's hard to believe seeing the city for the first time that China is still an emerging nation. It was much like driving into NYC, lots of high rises, lots of highways, and lots of traffic.
On the way to the hotel we stopped at the Pudong area for some photos. There are some amazing new buildings in Shanghai including the TV Tower and the World Financial Center, otherwise known as the Bottle Opener.
After getting settled at the hotel we took a short walk down Nanjing Road, the expensive shopping area of Shanghai. It was all high end brands. We stopped in one of the malls for a quick bite and were surprised by how empty it was. It didn't seem like the residents of Shanghai actually shop there. We actually found out during a visit today to the US Consulate that all of the very high end retail companies are mainly here for show not to make any money.
We had our first group dinner, a traditional family style Chinese meal. To me it didn't seem that much different than American style Chinese food. As much as I like Asian food I think I will be ready for good old American food by the end of the week.
A few of us ventured out to the Xintiandi area or the French concession after dinner. This is a shopping, dining, and bar area in the city. Our guide Candy had warned us not to take red cabs but we found out the hard way why red cabs are taboo. Cab drivers in Shanghai don't speak any English so you need to give them a card with the Chinese characters of where you want to go. We realized very quickly that he didn't know where to go even though we were going to a popular part of the city. He had to stop and ask directions. We got there eventually but we won't be taking any more red cabs.
So far I really like Shanghai, in a different way than I liked Vietnam. It's really hard to compare Vietnam and China since they are completely different cities in different stages of development. Although I liked the Vietnamese people I never felt completely safe in Ho Chi Minh City, in Shanghai I feel like I am in New York. You need to be careful but the streets aren't overwhelmed with people and runaway motorbikes. It's a very impressive city and it will be interesting to see how it compares to Beijing later in the week.
Our business visits start on Monday.
The city was an about an hour drive from the airport. It's hard to believe seeing the city for the first time that China is still an emerging nation. It was much like driving into NYC, lots of high rises, lots of highways, and lots of traffic.
On the way to the hotel we stopped at the Pudong area for some photos. There are some amazing new buildings in Shanghai including the TV Tower and the World Financial Center, otherwise known as the Bottle Opener.
After getting settled at the hotel we took a short walk down Nanjing Road, the expensive shopping area of Shanghai. It was all high end brands. We stopped in one of the malls for a quick bite and were surprised by how empty it was. It didn't seem like the residents of Shanghai actually shop there. We actually found out during a visit today to the US Consulate that all of the very high end retail companies are mainly here for show not to make any money.
We had our first group dinner, a traditional family style Chinese meal. To me it didn't seem that much different than American style Chinese food. As much as I like Asian food I think I will be ready for good old American food by the end of the week.
A few of us ventured out to the Xintiandi area or the French concession after dinner. This is a shopping, dining, and bar area in the city. Our guide Candy had warned us not to take red cabs but we found out the hard way why red cabs are taboo. Cab drivers in Shanghai don't speak any English so you need to give them a card with the Chinese characters of where you want to go. We realized very quickly that he didn't know where to go even though we were going to a popular part of the city. He had to stop and ask directions. We got there eventually but we won't be taking any more red cabs.
So far I really like Shanghai, in a different way than I liked Vietnam. It's really hard to compare Vietnam and China since they are completely different cities in different stages of development. Although I liked the Vietnamese people I never felt completely safe in Ho Chi Minh City, in Shanghai I feel like I am in New York. You need to be careful but the streets aren't overwhelmed with people and runaway motorbikes. It's a very impressive city and it will be interesting to see how it compares to Beijing later in the week.
Our business visits start on Monday.
Last Day and Best Day in Vietnam
I was finally able to get back on and avert China's block on Blogger through my vpn. I'm working on catching up on my posts.
Saturday was our last day in Ho Chi Minh City and in my opinion was our best day here. We spent most of the day with the Dong Thap University students, who for the last year have been working on a microcredit project in the Dong Thap Province. Microcredit is an interesting concept whereby small loans, typically less than 100 USD, are granted to people in villages, usually so they can start or grow small businesses. The majority of borrowers are women and they are members of a group of lenders with a team leader that manages the lending and payback process. Borrowers have to demonstrate their ability to save, in addition to a monthly payment on the loan, interest needs to be paid, as well as a percentage that is reserved for personal saving. This concept was started by Professor Muhammad Yunus. Below is a link to the Grameen Bank founded by Professor Yunus.
Microcredit link
This particular project was started by a group of social work students at Dong Thap University in partnership with Rider University and the AAE. Ruby from the AAE traveled to Ho Chi Minh City today with the students so they could update us on their project and we could give them suggestions as they move to expand the project to additional villages. Because they are social work student their objective in the project was to improve the lives of the people in the 3 lending groups. They achieved that goal and more with this pilot project. Where they all acknowledge that they need to improve is on the business aspect of the project. As MBA students everyone in our group started poking holes in the business weaknesses of the project but even with those they only had 3 out of 39 borrowers that did not pay back their loans. One group was so successful that their savings is now their borrowing money.
Saturday was our last day in Ho Chi Minh City and in my opinion was our best day here. We spent most of the day with the Dong Thap University students, who for the last year have been working on a microcredit project in the Dong Thap Province. Microcredit is an interesting concept whereby small loans, typically less than 100 USD, are granted to people in villages, usually so they can start or grow small businesses. The majority of borrowers are women and they are members of a group of lenders with a team leader that manages the lending and payback process. Borrowers have to demonstrate their ability to save, in addition to a monthly payment on the loan, interest needs to be paid, as well as a percentage that is reserved for personal saving. This concept was started by Professor Muhammad Yunus. Below is a link to the Grameen Bank founded by Professor Yunus.
Microcredit link
This particular project was started by a group of social work students at Dong Thap University in partnership with Rider University and the AAE. Ruby from the AAE traveled to Ho Chi Minh City today with the students so they could update us on their project and we could give them suggestions as they move to expand the project to additional villages. Because they are social work student their objective in the project was to improve the lives of the people in the 3 lending groups. They achieved that goal and more with this pilot project. Where they all acknowledge that they need to improve is on the business aspect of the project. As MBA students everyone in our group started poking holes in the business weaknesses of the project but even with those they only had 3 out of 39 borrowers that did not pay back their loans. One group was so successful that their savings is now their borrowing money.
We also saw a couple of case studies from the students about the businesses that they women created. One woman raised and sold baby ducks, one sold pastries off the back of her bike, and one opened a small shop. It is amazing how such a small amount of money for such a small business can make such a difference in people’s lives. We saw photos of where some of the people live and they were the equivalent of shacks on the water. Although there was a bit of a language barrier with some of the students, most only learned English in the last few years, you could see their pride in their work and the difference they made. Another great example of the overall pride of the Vietnamese people. I feel proud that we were able to assist, even in a very small way, with this worthwhile project.
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| Presenting our donation to the Dong Thap University microcredit project |
We gave the students some suggestions for improvements they can think about for the project and then we broke off for lunch with some of the students. The student we were paired with didn’t speak much English but we had a good time anyway. We had fun having pizza with her and the pizza actually wasn’t bad.
After some free time we had our last Vietnamese dinner. Another great job by Van, our guide. We were excited to present him with a gift for making our trip so special and we had fun with the Dong Thap students, who were all wearing their Rider t-shirts that were brought for them. Again, although there were language barriers, it was an amazing experience for all of us and a wonderful way to end our time in Vietnam
Up early for our flight to Shanghai
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Vietnam Business Visits Day 2
On Friday we ventured outside of Ho Chi Minh City to the Binh Duong Province to visit Becamex and learn about the Binh Duong New City and industrial parks that are managed by Becamex. It was about an hour bus ride to the province from Ho Chi Minh City. Becamex is a state owned company and they are involved with the development of a new city complete with businesses, housing, entertainment, and education. They sell the land rites to various businesses and investors in the New City and other Industrial Parks. The state still owns the land but the businesses have basically leased the land and then the own the buildings on that land.
Becamex presented their plans to us during the morning presentation, what they are endeavoring to do is quite impressive. The plans that they shared looked almost the same as a US planned community. Following the presentation we got back in the bus to see the Industrial Parks and the initial phases of the New City.
There are a number of large businesses including Colgate-Palmolive and Miller Beer that are residents in the industrial park. The other phases are in the beginning stages of development, but what we saw was not quite what the presentation looked like. I think Becamex has an interesting plan for the region and if successful it will certainly help the Vietnamese economy.
Next stop was a group lunch hosted by Becamex. Several family style courses of local Vietnamese cuisine. By far, the best meal we have had here.
Our next stop was the SAP Miller Beer Factory, a much larger manufacturing operation. I was really looking forward to this visit and was a little disappointed. Our host was not nearly as enthusiastic as our previous host and although it was an impressive operation it was unbearably hot and very difficult to hear the description of the operations. Having been on other brewery tours in the past, this one did not really meet expectations. Miller Beer in Vietnam has had their share of challenges since the beers that they sell are way behind their competition, Saigon Beer domestically and Heineken imported. We did finally get to take our full class picture in front of the case of all of the Miller Beer, which was the highlight of this visit.
Our final stop in the New City was the newly formed Eastern International University, a key component to the development plans of the New City. The inaugural class will be starting classes this fall in either business, engineering, or nursing. The hope is that the university will help attract people to the area, that they will study there and then live there after they have finished school. This will be key to the economic development of the area. Eventually they hope to have 24,000 students enrolled in the university. It is likely that the enrolling class of 2015 will be about 1000. Some of the facilities are still under construction but what we saw was impressive.
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| Presentation at Becamex |
Becamex presented their plans to us during the morning presentation, what they are endeavoring to do is quite impressive. The plans that they shared looked almost the same as a US planned community. Following the presentation we got back in the bus to see the Industrial Parks and the initial phases of the New City.
There are a number of large businesses including Colgate-Palmolive and Miller Beer that are residents in the industrial park. The other phases are in the beginning stages of development, but what we saw was not quite what the presentation looked like. I think Becamex has an interesting plan for the region and if successful it will certainly help the Vietnamese economy.
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| Planned housing in the New City |
Next stop was a group lunch hosted by Becamex. Several family style courses of local Vietnamese cuisine. By far, the best meal we have had here.
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| Coconut water at the group lunch |
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| Our Becamex host making fish wraps for us |
Our next stop in the My Phuoc Industrial Park was probably one of the most inspiring since we have been here. We visited the Acrylic Idea Factory, a small factory that manufactures acrylic statues and awards. The director of the factory gave us a tour of the facility but before that he talked about his experience at the factory and the success that they have achieved. When he was describing their success with one of their US customers he had tears in his eyes and was so incredibly proud of their achievements. This sense of pride has been consistent with almost all of the Vietnamese people that we have met on this trip. It will be interesting to see if this is true of the Chinese people as well.
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| Acrylic Idea Factory |
Our next stop was the SAP Miller Beer Factory, a much larger manufacturing operation. I was really looking forward to this visit and was a little disappointed. Our host was not nearly as enthusiastic as our previous host and although it was an impressive operation it was unbearably hot and very difficult to hear the description of the operations. Having been on other brewery tours in the past, this one did not really meet expectations. Miller Beer in Vietnam has had their share of challenges since the beers that they sell are way behind their competition, Saigon Beer domestically and Heineken imported. We did finally get to take our full class picture in front of the case of all of the Miller Beer, which was the highlight of this visit.
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| Rider EMBA Class of 2012 |
A long day of visits but another informative day with a glimpse into the future potential for Vietnam. Tomorrow we spend time with the Dong Thap University students who have been working the last year on a microcredit project.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Vietnam Business Visits Day 1
We had a full day of business visits today ranging from the US Consulate, HSBC Bank, and Harvey Nash, a company that has an outsourcing and business processing operation in Vietnam. We started out the day at the US Consulate meeting with Brian Rupert, the Economic Officer at the US Consulate. Brian shared his insights on Vietnam's current economy, the challenges they are facing, and what may hold for the future.
From Brian's perspective Vietnam has a growing economy but challenges such as inflation, currently at 19.8% and the fact that the Vietnamese economy is 50% held in cash (US dollars) and gold. The Vietnamese government's prioirity is to try and implement policies to control inflation. On a positive note Vietnam is very strong in trade, particularly with the US and they are currently the #2 rice and coffee exporter.
Vietnam is also a very young country with about 65% of the population under 35 years old. According to Brian the young Vietnamese are optimitistic about the future as they have seen vast improvements over the last few years. However, Vietnam is at a crossroads and has some serious issues with the current banking system, healthcare system, university system that need repairing if they are going to be able to sustain economic growth.
Interestingly, we heard some similar messages from Huynh Buu Quang from HSBC bank in Vietnam. HSBC has a long history with Vietnam and is currently the leading bank in Vietnam. From Quang's perspective Vietnam is also poised for economic growth but where Brian and Quang differ not surprisingly, is in their optimisism for the future. As a Vietnamese citizen Quang's is much more positive, while Brian, as a US-citizen living and working in Vietnam, he is cautiously optimisitic. It was an interesting contrast on a similar topic and I think Vietnam, even with their challenges will continue to be a country to watch and could be a challenge to China in the offshoring market.
We had quick stop for lunch between visits at the Vincom Center (very large, very expensive shopping mall). A few of us chose to check out American fast food in the food court. Carl's Jr. was actually pretty good, still fast food, but better than I expected.
Our last stop yesterday was at Harvey Nash, an international company that has established a large outsourcing and business process operation in Vietnam with offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Overall, it was a pretty impressive group. We toured several of their offices in e-town about 40 minutes outside the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Although I am not as familiar with the services they offer, IT/software development and business process I could very much relate to their philosophy for working with customers. They believe strongly in forming a partnership with the client, working to create the team that is best going to meet that client's need, and then follow through with excellent execution. After hearing of some of their long-term relationships with clients and the shear number of clients they have, they have built a good business model centered around the customer.
I was also struck by the pride the Vietnamese people have for their work. Every person we spoke with at Harvey Nash was extremely proud of the work they are doing and their success as a company. Another indication that the Vietnamese people as a whole are very proud of who they are. Overall, everyone we have met so far has been very friendly and warm to us. We were even greated with cheers by the 2 groups of class trips that we encountered on our first day.
So, a full day again but filled with insights about the future of Vietnam from an economic perspective, including a visit to a business that is clearly succeeding in their economy and poised for further growth.
Not many picures from today, we weren't allowed cameras at the US Consulate, but on the way home from Harvey Nash we were stuck in rush hour traffic and saw seas of motor bikes and someone hauling a refridgerator on a motor bike. So I leave you with that picture for today. The pics are a little fuzzy since they were taken from a moving bus.
From Brian's perspective Vietnam has a growing economy but challenges such as inflation, currently at 19.8% and the fact that the Vietnamese economy is 50% held in cash (US dollars) and gold. The Vietnamese government's prioirity is to try and implement policies to control inflation. On a positive note Vietnam is very strong in trade, particularly with the US and they are currently the #2 rice and coffee exporter.
Vietnam is also a very young country with about 65% of the population under 35 years old. According to Brian the young Vietnamese are optimitistic about the future as they have seen vast improvements over the last few years. However, Vietnam is at a crossroads and has some serious issues with the current banking system, healthcare system, university system that need repairing if they are going to be able to sustain economic growth.
Interestingly, we heard some similar messages from Huynh Buu Quang from HSBC bank in Vietnam. HSBC has a long history with Vietnam and is currently the leading bank in Vietnam. From Quang's perspective Vietnam is also poised for economic growth but where Brian and Quang differ not surprisingly, is in their optimisism for the future. As a Vietnamese citizen Quang's is much more positive, while Brian, as a US-citizen living and working in Vietnam, he is cautiously optimisitic. It was an interesting contrast on a similar topic and I think Vietnam, even with their challenges will continue to be a country to watch and could be a challenge to China in the offshoring market.
We had quick stop for lunch between visits at the Vincom Center (very large, very expensive shopping mall). A few of us chose to check out American fast food in the food court. Carl's Jr. was actually pretty good, still fast food, but better than I expected.
Our last stop yesterday was at Harvey Nash, an international company that has established a large outsourcing and business process operation in Vietnam with offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Overall, it was a pretty impressive group. We toured several of their offices in e-town about 40 minutes outside the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Although I am not as familiar with the services they offer, IT/software development and business process I could very much relate to their philosophy for working with customers. They believe strongly in forming a partnership with the client, working to create the team that is best going to meet that client's need, and then follow through with excellent execution. After hearing of some of their long-term relationships with clients and the shear number of clients they have, they have built a good business model centered around the customer.
I was also struck by the pride the Vietnamese people have for their work. Every person we spoke with at Harvey Nash was extremely proud of the work they are doing and their success as a company. Another indication that the Vietnamese people as a whole are very proud of who they are. Overall, everyone we have met so far has been very friendly and warm to us. We were even greated with cheers by the 2 groups of class trips that we encountered on our first day.
So, a full day again but filled with insights about the future of Vietnam from an economic perspective, including a visit to a business that is clearly succeeding in their economy and poised for further growth.
Not many picures from today, we weren't allowed cameras at the US Consulate, but on the way home from Harvey Nash we were stuck in rush hour traffic and saw seas of motor bikes and someone hauling a refridgerator on a motor bike. So I leave you with that picture for today. The pics are a little fuzzy since they were taken from a moving bus.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
History, Medicine, and Music
Overall a great first full day in Ho Chi Minh City where we visited a couple of tourist sites, experienced Vietnamese history, toured a traditional Vietnamese medicine museum, and listened to local, traditional music at the end of the day.
Our first stop this morning was at the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Overall, it was a busy and interesting first day in Ho Chi Minh City. We ended the day with a great group dinner organized by Van of more local cuisine followed by some drinks at another rooftop bar in the city. I am definitely still feeling the jet lag a bit. I'm up at 5:00am working on this blog because I can't sleep.
Today we start our company visits so I am sure it will be another full day. Oh, and if you're wondering about the weather, it's hot and humid. First thing in the morning I thought of some of my favorite quotes from Good Morning Vietnam related to the weather here, but I'll reserve those.
Our first stop this morning was at the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral.
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| Notre Dame Cathedral |
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| Central Post Office |
Only quick stops at both of these sites for some picture taking and some early souvenir buying in the Post Office. Although after quick trips to 2 of the markets I think I prefer the less aggressive tactics at the Post Office. We also saw the cutest group of Vietnames children on a class trip, they were all so friendly and excited to see Americans.
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| Class trip to the Central Post Office |
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| Our class trip to the Post Office |
Next stop was the Vietnam History Museum chronically more than 4000 years of Vietnamese History. Whenever I travel outside of the US I am always reminded of how young of a nation that we are. Even more interesting is that with all of their history both Vietnam and China are still in many ways emerging nations.
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| Outside the Vietnames History Museum, no photos allowed inside |
Our next stop was the Reunification Hall where Van, our guide and Chris Runckel, who has a long history of work with the US and Vietnam discussed the events from the time when the French first occupied Vietnam, the Vietman War, the reunification of North and South Vietnam, and the reentrance of the US into Vietnam. It was an interesting overview of events. I was really impressed with Van's knowledge. He is obviously quite proud of his country and upbringing in Vietnam yet he presented the information in a very unbiased way which we may not have gotten from someone else.
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| Reunification Hall |
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| Van, our guide |
After a very informative morning we moved on to another important place, lunch at Pho 2000. Since we only grabbed a quick bite last night this was going to be our first experience with the local food. Pho 2000 is famous for President Clinton's visit back in the early 2000s. It did not disappoint. I decided to go with the seafood Pho as opposed to the traditional beef noodle soup.
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| Seafood Pho |
We took a brief trip into one of the markets after lunch and it is nothing like I have ever seen. The vendors are extremely aggressive trying to get you to buy anything from t-shirts, knock-off sunglasses, and locally made products. Not really my favorite way to shop. Another visit to the larger market near our hotel later in the day was just as overwhelming. It will be interesting to see if this is the same when we get to China.
After our quick adventures in Vietnamese retail we headed to a traditional Vietnamese medicine museum where we learned about some of the differences with Chinese traditional medicine and saw the history of traditional medicine in Vietnam. This is one of the newer museums in Vietnam and had some interesting outside views and historical items.
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| Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Museum |
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| Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Museum |
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| Vietnamese Traditional Medicine Museum |
Our last stop of the afternoon was a private show of traditional Vietnamese music. I think everyone would agree that this was one of the highlights of the day. We saw some traditional Vietnamese dances as well as unique Vietnamese instruments. We were even able to join in the fun at the end of the show.
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| Traditional Vietnamese Music Show |
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| Traditional Vietnames Medicine Show |
Today we start our company visits so I am sure it will be another full day. Oh, and if you're wondering about the weather, it's hot and humid. First thing in the morning I thought of some of my favorite quotes from Good Morning Vietnam related to the weather here, but I'll reserve those.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
First Impressions of Ho Chi Minh City
So it is officially Day 1, we are doing some cultural visits today and sampling the local cuisine for lunch and dinner today. Although we were all pretty wiped from traveling about 20 hours yesterday a few of us ventured out to the Rooftop Garden Bar at the Rex Hotel. It was still so hot and humid last night but it was nice to sit outside after being in planes and airports all day.
I'm not quite sure what I expected the city to look like but it is definitely interesting. It was dark as we made our way to the hotel so I'm sure today I will get a better perspective. Although there are lots of cars the main transportation is motorbikes and we saw some full families of four, with babies on one bike. The picture below is a just a small sample, more to come.
I'm looking forward to getting a good look at the city in the daytime today. I will post about all of our visits later today. An unexpected treat in our rooms last night when we checked was a sampling of local fruit. Apparently we will be receiving a fruit of the day to try. It was really good and looked almost like a white kiwi fruit inside. Can't wait to see what today's fruit is.
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| View from the Rooftop Garden Bar at the Rex Hotel |
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| Small selection of the motor bikes in the city |
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| Local Vietnamese Dragonfruit |
Greetings from Hong Kong
We made it through the long part of the journey, 15 hours to Hong Kong. Took some pictures of the North Pole as we flew over. Definitely a highlight of the flight, although I did catch up on my movie watching since I couldn't really sleep.
We are enjoying our first meal in The Hong Kong airport. It is much like American Chinese food but definitely better than what we had on the plane.
We had some excitement on the plane, one of our classmates passed out and caused quite a stir in the last 2 hours of the flight. He is fine now but it was scary when it was happening.
Another short flight and then our final destination, Ho Chi Minh City.
We are enjoying our first meal in The Hong Kong airport. It is much like American Chinese food but definitely better than what we had on the plane.
We had some excitement on the plane, one of our classmates passed out and caused quite a stir in the last 2 hours of the flight. He is fine now but it was scary when it was happening.
Another short flight and then our final destination, Ho Chi Minh City.
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| View of the North Pole from the plane |
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Next Stop Ho Chi Minh City
We are leaving tomorrow for our 12-day journey in Vietnam and China. First stop for me, airport hotel near JFK, next stop, after about 18 hours of flying time tomorrow and a trip over the International Date Line, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
We have a full itinerary for the 4 days we are in Vietnam, lots of company visits and some time for sight seeing and some free time too. I plan to post updates and some pictures everyday provided I have Google access in both countries. If not, this will be one long blog when I return to the US.
For now, I am going to try and get some sleep before the long journey ahead.
We have a full itinerary for the 4 days we are in Vietnam, lots of company visits and some time for sight seeing and some free time too. I plan to post updates and some pictures everyday provided I have Google access in both countries. If not, this will be one long blog when I return to the US.
For now, I am going to try and get some sleep before the long journey ahead.
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