On the day I arrived at Noi Bai International Airport, it was full of moisture and warmth. My first Southeast Asian destination was Hanoi, and I was not concerned that I was five hours away from home by flight before I ate a rice noodles. I visited Vietnam as a reporter of The Postech Times and the first stop on my  five-day journey kicked off in Hanoi.
  While I travelled around downtown, I was shocked by the road conditions which were considerably different from Korea. An enormous number of motorcycles blanketed the road, and it made for a chaotic scenery, mixed with crowds and cars. I wondered why people there did not enjoy wearing wireless earphones like Koreans. They could never use them because it would be dangerous to relieve their ears even for a moment. Another thing that stuck out was there were only a few cars compared to the avalanche of motorcycles and even those were compact. Vietnam imposes immense taxes on car owners, thereby making the motorbike a major transit vehicle. Nevertheless, there were several cars everywhere I went and even some luxury foreign cars. It illustrated the wide spectrum of the economy of Vietnam.
  I felt this spectrum even more dramatically when I appreciated the city view from my hotel window every morning. Skyscrapers and signs of multinational companies were in view, while shanty towns encircled those buildings. It made me think about the wide economic disparity and yet, I was astonished at the size of Vietnam’s economic scale. The population of Vietnam is almost 100 million and it is frequently commented on as the fastest-growing country in South Asia, and I directly experienced it by visiting every part of the city. When I visited Vin University for an interview with faculty members, I found the comprehensive impact of one company on the nation. Vingroup, a founder of the university, has positioned itself as Vietnam’s representative corporation and exerts its influence in various fields ranging from the auto industry to education. Vin University is one of their enterprises and it seems to indicate the future of Vietnam by introducing many innovative policies. In addition, the city area near the university was constructed by the Vingroup, a strictly planned city with neatly paved roads and regularly polished apartment complexes. Throughout the city, it seemed like I was in another country, hard to see a motorcycles which pervade other areas in Hanoi. In most developing countries, the capital inflow from overseas is dominant, but it was impressive that a domestic company cultivates the basis of the nation.
  It was when I came back to downtown Hanoi that I could see an ordinary image of Vietnam. The peaceful campus of Vin University was alluring, but the bustle of crowds and horns rimming around my ears encapsulated the quintessential vitality of Vietnam. There were numerous stores on all the streets in accordance with the nation of diligence and the city's light were not dimmed even after midnight. In particular, a lot of Korean signs were noticeable, illustrating the Korean presence that has taken root here. Vietnam is known as the land of opportunity in Korea and most Vietnamese were also hospitable to Koreans including me. Interestingly, I communicated better with them when I spoke Korean rather than English. As such, both countries are intimate and continue to build and strengthen  cooperation.
  It is important to pay attention to the progress and to the future of Vietnam, showing the power of transformation and openness. Sustainable growth has started to take shape by investing in education and many other infrastructures. I visited here without enough information, but Vietnam has influenced my thoughts significantly and I am very curious about their aspirations and the direction they will take in the future.