 In the words of Professor Thomas Cook, when 53 Georgetown MBA students traveled to Ho Chi Minh City for the Global Integrative, they "never looked back." The integrative, graciously hosted by Professor Cook and Professor Catherine Langlois, was a giant success.
Ten teams were formed to consult for companies such as Pepsi, Gannon, United Airlines, and Habu Bank. The time leading up to the residency was spent collaborating with the client and collecting research. The faculty also organized movie nights, guest speakers, and a luncheon to celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese New Year.
In country, the time was nothing short of astounding. After 24 hours of travel, we hit the ground running. The week opened with an event hosted by Pepsi that brought in American and Vietnamese
business students. The crème-de-la-crème of the Vietnamese students gave presentations followed by a luncheon.
Later in the week, half of the class saw shoes being made at the local Nike plant, while the other half visited Intel and saw plans for their new facility in Ho Chi Minh. There was a visit to RMIT, the Australian business school with a campus in Ho Chi Minh, where two MSB teams presented their projects and findings.
"It was interesting to share our findings with the local students," said Rachel Small (MBA/MPP '08), who
worked on a project for the Vietnamese Consulting Group, with BankMart, an online bank broker. "They were able to validate some of our ideas and bring up concerns from the Vietnamese perspective that we hadn't considered."
Our projects culminated with a presentation to the clients, and for some, additional socializing over dinner and drinks. The final event was a dinner on the rooftop of our hotel that provided a beautiful view of the city and river.
When we had free time, we were able to enjoy the rich culture and history of the city. The blaring horns, millions of motorbikes, sidewalk vendors, and stray animals took some getting used to. But by the end of the second day, we learned to cross the street without getting killed (red lights aren't just a suggestion), haggle in the marketplace, and count dong.
Many students also enjoyed unique cuisine, where just about anything can be deep-fried and served on a plate.
"Most of the food is cooked on grills placed right on the table," said Joal Leopando (MSB '08), who worked
on a project for the investment banking, finance and securities brokerage arm of Habubank Securities. "The crickets were interesting and eating them is like eating large, battered, crunchy nuts. As for taste, nuts have more flavor than fried insects."
Vietnam is a country with hidden charm, boasting wonderful and exotic experiences. And after the residency, most students "detoxed" from the week on the beautiful beaches along the coast of Vietnam or in Phuket, Thailand.
By Varsha Garg MBA '08
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