The streets of HCMC / Saigon provide endless amazement. Above are just a few selects from many. Enjoy!

Sobriety has set in. The intoxication of travel, a warmer climate and beautiful country is now a memory. It is no longer our current experience. But the soul-shaking stories we discovered are still reverberating in my mind. Still very real. Still very much alive. While I am not currently living these stories, those we met are. And living them every day. Every minute. 

We can not simply be "tourists" in their lives. There one day, gone the next. Friendships were born, and we're excited to see these grow. To watch these stories evolve, and to be part of something much greater than ourselves.

As storytellers, our associative nature is strong. It is our ally. Empathy is paramount, or at least our best effort. To tell a story well, we must feel the pain, the joy, the struggle, the success. We must be a part of the story. We want to be involved, to help make an impact. This is an element that drives us. It is much, much more than simply telling a story from a journalistic standpoint.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be working on telling these stories. More will be coming ...

Best $8 I have ever spent ... Driving a motorbike through the wild, chaotic streets of Ho Chi Minh City! Exhilarating! There is a rhythm to this city that is quite obvious, yet not easily articulated. Such an apparent heartbeat, unwritten rules of conduct, both on the road and when building relationships. The best type of tourism should educate. And our intent in Vietnam is to learn as much as we can about the people of this beautiful, vibrant country. Therefore, our "tourism" has been focused on the people more than the buildings or statues or landmarks. The people of Vietnam are simply amazing! Watch the video above, and you will see the evidentiary proof this apparent rhythm.

After working our way through a maze of an open-air market, we spotted an alley snaking through a mass of compact housing. The video above starts on the edge of the market just before we head down the alley.

We walked through an amazing open air market in an area that is basically a backpackers district. The amount of live seafood is amazing!

We spent a wonderful day in Danang. The morning started at 3:30am, heading to the airport at 4am, boarding a plane to Danang, then reaching our breakfast destination on China Beach. The breakfast was out of this world. The beach was beautiful. The few hours to relax were just amazing! We then headed to Marble Mountain – a truly astounding place. The video below shows one of the caves at Marble Mountain. Check it out:

Next we headed into the city to grab some coffee and then connect with a group of university students and young professionals. And that was a total blast. The Vietnamese people are so hospitable and engaging. And most of those we interact have excellent English skills – Makes me feel that I really need to start working on learning a second language.

Below is a great slideshow of photos taken by the wonderful Rachel Chester who not only takes great pictures, she also provides a solid stream of comedic relief!

A couple of students took us on a tour of HCMC / Saigon. We hit the major tourist locations, but they also took us to an amazing store that produces art and also sells it. The above image shows one of of several young men working on producing these reproduction art pieces. Getting behind the scenes was great. Honestly, it blew my mind to a certain extent because of the tedious work involved. Below is a quick video just outside the retail store around the side and back of the building.

I have always wondered why it is that when people come to visit New York City they enjoy eating at restaurants that they can eat at anywhere else. Mc Donalds, KFC, Hard Rock Cafe, Ruby Tuesdays. I just don't understand. With all the great cuisine there is to choose from...why?

Last night, we were so hungry, and it was so late we ate Pizza Hut for dinner...in Vietnam. I have not eaten at a Pizza Hut in at least 4 years. And, I have to say, Pizza Hut in Vietnam...exactly as I remember it. So, what can I say...I'd never choose to eat there at home but here, It's a little exotic.

Long live the Hut.

Sweet House, Sweet Life is the tagline at the hotel we're staying at. And so far, that's been the tagline of our trip as well. Here's some highlights from the first couple of days.

We started out by leading a seminar at PSB college. Here's Neil and Rachel dressed up and ready to go in the cab.

On arrival we were greeted by many smiling faces, including our own. The school created a banner with our portraits to advertise the event.

We had a great time at the university, and the seminar went very smoothly.Thanks to Rachel for the pics, here's some more.

Jordan and Elizabeth posing with some students.

Rachel with some of the staff from PSB.

After spending the morning at PSB college we went to an evening Christmas celebration with over 40,000 people in attendance. It was an amazing evening. 

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to tour Ho Chi Minh city. We were lucky to have two great tour guides showing us around. We saw Independence (Reunification) Palace, French colonial Notre Dame Cathedral and Post Office, Giac Lam Pagoda, and the Chinese district of Cholon.

Here's a few shots from the basement at the palace.

We were all pretty worn out after the tour. So we went to Highlands coffee to sit down and relax.

Rachel.

Elizabeth digging into a coconut.

Neil.

Jordan.

We had an amazing first full day in Vietnam today! And it started out with our team presenting a Professional Development Seminar at a top University here in HCMC / Saigon. Seven of our team members presented six different topics including leadership, resume writing, and more. The students were quite interested and engaged, but were definitely somewhat reserved. A bit hesitant to even ask questions. However out in the city, the people stop and stare, and quite often walk right up to us asking questions mostly in Vietnamese!

The image above is of Jordan Richard presenting to a class room full of students. After all the presentations were finished, we all went downstairs for a quick photo-op for the college. And you can see from the image below that our very own Mr. Richard had a definite impact on the young ladies. Many of them, giggling almost uncontrollably, just had to get their photo with Jordan! I believe the girls were a bit more interested in his dashing good looks, not his presentation on Writing a Personal Mission Statement. But I could be wrong!

You can follow Jordan on twitter to stay up to date as his fame in Vietnam continues to grow!