I didn’t realize that being 1hr behind would really wreak havoc to my schedule. My brain was fixed on having the online presscon at 10 am Manila time that I forgot that it meant it was 9 am HCMC time. 😱 I was already having breakfast when I realized I have to log on Teams.
After breakfast and the presscon, we hopped on to our Grab car and went to the trade fair.
I have two interview prospects so far, which is a bit disappointing. But then again, the main reason why we’re here is we’re scouting for potential suppliers for the business that my bff and I are going to put up. So I have to think positively that this trip is not really a waste of resources.
However, we had low pickings. We realized that it would have been better if we attended the Hong Kong leg and the Canton Fair because the choices are wider and they have a variety of price points to choose from. Even though they say that China is getting more expensive, we still find that Vietnamese goods are still more expensive if we base it on the minimum quantity order.
After lunch, we decided to go to Ben Thanh market for ground coffee and fruits. Bff was hankering for a giant atis.
I know Ben Thanh is also the center for knock off things and I’m not interested in that. I’m not really a coffee drinker but I ended up buying freshly ground coffee worth PHP 3,000. 😩 The vendors there were smooth operators. A
It was so hot and humid inside but that didn’t stopme from trying some noodles.
We do have them back home but not in those sizes. Our mangoes are still better though.
Today is a bit hectic as I had a meeting at 10 am and we were only able to get to our breakfast place at 9 am.
I was 8 mins late because traffic was heavier than usual. The government was closing down streets in District 1 becausr they were having some kind of celebration to commemorate the reunification of Vietnam. Jets and helicopters were flying overhead, with Vietnamese flags on their tails.
The culminating celebration is on the 30th but they’re already in a celebratory mood.
After my meeting, bff and I went to the Adidas factory outlet store in District 11. She used to be an active triathlete—the first Filipina to compete in Norseman triathlon—so naturally she wants to check out some bargain finds.
Twin A is really serious about her volleyball training so she asked for additional training gear. Twin I, on the other hand, has taken up long distance running/walking. I added two more shirts to this lot and it only cost me PHP 6000++.
Then we went to a nearby Lotte supermarket for Vietnamese instant coffee, some tea, and lots of instant pho.
We had lunch at past 3 pm—we were already starving. We went back to out hotel back in District 1 and opted to have lunch in a restaurant just within spitting distance.
We were pissed. We were like eating beef jerky. It was so tough that it was such a chore to eat. The rice was really dry. We just had to plod on because we were ravenous but if we weren’t, we would have left the restaurant with only a few bites of our food.
After coffee, we ended up in a plaza where people were starting converge.
