GRIP, Internships Abroad Karaoke Bonding

GRIP: Sustainable Development in Ho Chi Minh City

Living in Vietnam has been one of the best cultural experiences of my life so far. I have really enjoyed feeling like more than a tourist by going through daily activities in my neighborhood or at work. I’ve also loved the people I’ve met over these two months, and my friendships and interactions with locals have taught me so much about Vietnamese culture.

One of the activities I’ve loved participating in most is karaoke. I quickly learned that karaoke is a super popular bonding activity for all ages in Vietnam. I have three memories of karaoke from my time in Vietnam, and each memory represents a different part of my trip.

The first time was in the Mekong delta, where I went on a weekend trip with two other Penn students. We joined a group of students from the University of Economics and Finance in Ho Chi Minh City, who were taking this trip to explore rural tourism in the Mekong delta. We were given special positions as foreign “ambassadors” and were tasked with giving our opinions on the tourism potential of the area we were visiting. On the final day of the trip, before heading back to the city, the university organized a big lunch outdoors at a beautiful farm. This lunch turned into a karaoke session when someone brought in a TV and mic, and we spent hours singing and eating together. In the middle of all this, a huge storm began, and as the rain poured down we kept singing and trying to keep dry. I’ll always remember the chaos of that lunch, but more importantly, how included the Vietnamese university students made the three of us Penn students feel.

My second karaoke experience was in Ho Chi Minh City, and it was organized by some of the local buddies we had through Abroader. This event was one of the most memorable bonding activities we had with our buddies, and it was at a popular karaoke place in the city. We played Vietnamese and English songs and played games to decide who would sing. I met many other foreign interns through that event as well, so it was a great chance to make friends outside of our immediate circle. The place provided a bunch of fresh fruit as well, so I got to try a bunch of tropical fruit like rambutan, green mango, and guava. I feel super lucky to have had such a caring team throughout the two months, and it was clear the Abroader really wanted us to have a fun, immersive experience.

Finally, I have great memories of karaoke with my boss from work. I was working at a renewable energy company, and the company had just finished developing a wind project in the Soc Trang province. I went on an eye-opening trip to visit this project with my boss and the other Penn intern at the company. We took a sleeper bus to get there, which is basically a bus with beds for seats. My boss made sure we visited many cultural sites, so we saw many beautiful pagodas and amazing statues. One of the coolest statues was one of the Sleeping Buddha, because it was huge! We also went to karaoke in the evening, and my boss shocked us all with his amazing voice. I’ll never forget him belting to The Beatles, Elton John, and all the Vietnamese songs we heard his friends sing with him.

These three moments were some of the most unforgettable memories of my past two months. They involve different people, places, and circumstances, and each holds such a special place in my heart.