after_alex

After a great summer in Vietnam, I’m low on steam to keep after_alex going. I’ve decided that this will be my final post…for a long while.

The latest update on my life is that I’m back in the US. I have finished the Vietnamese Advanced Summer Institute (VASI) in Saigon. Now I’m settled in Cambridge, MA with Victoria and launched off into the first year of my 3-year MPA/MBA program. This is a dual-degree — MPA is Master in Public Administration, and MBA being Master in Business Administration. This first year is at JFK School of Government @ Harvard University (Harvard Kennedy School), and the next year will be at The Wharton School @ Penn. It’s been a great ride. Almost two months in, I’m pretty much knee deep in an intellectual and social bonanza. Each day is like a conference on cutting-edge public affairs, with happy hours and dinner events squeezed into the PMs. Happy to say, I’m enjoying it very much. I’m seeing great people — from the President of Columbia to advisers for the Vietnamese government, and it’s been worth every moment. I don’t agree with all ideas that come across the JFK campus, but it’s a great space for tomorrow’s leaders (as well as some of today’s).

Now, here’s some images from this summer.

A couple of snapshots from all over the place: Hong Kong airport is a special place for me, having spent many hours here waiting (and eating!). Great food from the cafes inside.

HK International Airport

Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) is an ever-changing place. The pace is picking back up again for construction. Yes, it’s supposedly slowed down, but I guarantee you that each day you’ll never see a skyline that you’ve seen before.

Saigon under construction.

And here is Saigon’s still-nascent downtown.

Club Velvet, one of the current hot spots in Saigon, brags about its exclusiveness. It caters to expats and the wealthy…both growing groups in Vietnam.

The club scene thrives in Saigon.

And that’s a wrap on the last 4 months…