Day 5 Reflections, Toby Gail Lim

EQ1: What is your impression of HCMC?
I think HCMC is a city that has many sides to it. Many people usually have the impression that HCMC is a place that is traditional and not so urban, similar to the Hanoi area. After this trip, I have seen parts of HCMC that I have never seen before, which are very polished and urban. In the different districts, I actually see many different types of HCMC.

EQ2: What is a culture?
Culture is a rich mix of beliefs, designs, practices, arts and more. Each culture has its own distinctive characteristics that makes it unique and different from other cultures, and some cultures might have similarities.

EQ3: What influences the culture of a country?
The main factor that influences the culture of a country is the people there, as well as the history of the country. It depends on what the people in the past started to believe in and do, which slowly builds up and forms a rich culture over the years.

EQ4: How is the retail development, a reflection of a country's development?
The more developed their retail is, the more the country is developing. The retail of a country is to cater to the needs of a people, so if a country is developing, then the people would have even more needs, which means that the retail would be developed better to cater to these needs.

Day 5 & 6 Reflections-Ng Ying Liang

Day 5

Essential Question 1

How is retail development a reflection of a country’s development?

Retail development affects the economy strength of a country. If the retail development is progressing well, the country will thus have better earnings and be able to purchase better equipments etc. to upgrade the whole country and thus will have a better image showcased to others around the world compared to a country that is still working hard to upgrade it's facilities.

Day 6

Essential Question 1

What is your impression of Ho Chi Minh City?

My first impression is that the houses, shops and hotels are actually quite packed together compared to in Singapore. Also there are not many tall buildings, most buildings are actually less than 10 levels tall compared to Singapore where there are so many HDB flats. Another thing is that the traffic actually has more motorcycles than cars and honks could be heard every time.

Essential Question 2

What is a culture?

A culture is a common practice normally within a group of people from the same background etc. Culture can be in all sorts of form be it their living habits or their thinking.

Essential Question 3

What influences the culture of a country?

The culture of a country is determined by the citizens. The way of life they lead, their actions, their thinking can affects how the culture of a country to be changed either for the better or worse.

Reflections Day 5 and 6 -Jiajun

Day 5

Essential Question 1

How is retail development a reflection of a country’s development?

Retail development affects the countries’ economy, and if the country has a good economy, it can use the money to better develop its infrastructure and roads. Another reason is that more developed countries may sell similar items at a higher price than a developing country, showing that the cost of living is higher. The type of goods sold(branded items, luxury items) could also show whether the country is more developed.

Day 6

Essential Question 1

What is your impression of Ho Chi Minh City?

Ho Chi Minh City is a nice place, with a unique culture and beautiful sceneries. It is still developing, but I believe that it will become a busy and major city in the world. It is currently building high-rise infrastructure and upgrading its roads, which will surely be effective in attracting investors and tourists. 

Essential Question 2

What is a culture?

A culture is a common thinking or action within a group of people. Such as how they live, how they think or how they do things. They usually change as it is passed down generation to generation.

Essential Question 3

What influences the culture of a country?

Culture can be affected by many factors. Some examples are the climate of the region, the way of life and possibly influence from other cultures or country.

Day 5 and 6 reflections Matthew

Day 5 -

EQ 1. How is the retail development a reflection of the country's development?

 

It can reflect the current state of the country's economy and the state of the citizens. If the price of the goods are lowly priced you can tell that the citizens might not have very high income - if they are packaged in small amounts you can also tell that their income isn't that high. If the same item keeps on appearing over and over again you can also tell that the type of the good is doing very well or is very popular.

Day 6 - 

EQ 1. What is your impression of HCMC?

My impressionHCMC is that it is a slowly developing city that is encompassing different types of city planning from different countries that have the same space and excel with such spaces. HCMC is a place that has a rich culture that can be seen in every area. HCMC's traffic is on another level that we Singaporeans won't be able to handle if we went there without any knowledge of it before we venture to their country.

 

EQ 2. What is a culture?

A culture is a special flair to a country that has been accumulated over the 'life span' of the country based on its roots, experiences and ideals. The culture will mold the city scape and the architecture of each structure and way of thinking.

 

EQ 3. What influences the culture of the country?

I think that the history, ideals/beliefs influence the culture of the country. The past can take its toll on the thinking of the people which will undoubtedly serve as a foundation for their culture. However, the present can also change their thinking since we are living in such a time where power is almost everything. But the fact that the culture of a country is influenced by time is one of those important factors.

Day 5 & 6 Reflections: Bryan Kong

Day 5
EQ1: How is the retail development, a reflection of a country's development?
It shows how good te economy of the country is. Having better retail shop, malls etc. menas that the country is developing and earning money.

Day 6
EQ1: What is your impression of HCMC?
I think that HCMC is still developing, not a city state now but maybe in the future. Some of the city might be old but they would most probably be renovated soon.

EQ2:What is a culture?
A culture is a belief shared by some people, the methods of doing something religious. A culture is also special to that certain group of people.

EQ3: What influences the culture of a country?
Some foreign countries might have went to Vietnam to plan and do things their own ways by taking Vietnam by force. Another is an example of Singapore helping Vietnam for building a city. The roads, street lamps, skyscrapers were mostly copied from Singapore. Thus, some of the culture would change due to all of these factors.

Day 5 & 6 Reflections: Dylan Loo

Day 6 Reflections:
EQ1: What is your impression of HCMC?
I think that HCMC is a currently developing country with some parts still old from the past and other parts   of HCMC still growing and developing into a more modern setting.

EQ2: What is a culture?
A culture is a term describing the beliefs, the arts, the society and the methods of doing things from a group of people. The culture is unique to the group of people themselves.

EQ3: What influences the culture of a country?
The influence of the culture of a country are other countries and their ways of planning and doing things. If such a country colonizes the other country then some of their cultures will mix, changing it.

Day 5 Reflections:
EQ 1: How is the retail development, a reflection of a country's development?
It shows the country's development as the more advanced the retail development is in the country, the more developed the country is-- retail development can be rather costly, and once the retail department of the country is quite developed, it will start to bring in a steady income, and the country can then also continue to develop.

Day 5 and 6 Reflections - Jing Yi

Day 5 - 

EQ 1. How is the retail development a reflection of the country's development?

The retail development reflects the country's economy and the people's well-being. When the country has stable economy with a steady flow of income and resources, it can be shown by what is mainly sold in common retail stores throughout the country, as well as the improving conditions of the stores, from roadside stalls to large, rented retail space in shopping centres. 

Day 6 - 

EQ 1. What is your impression of HCMC?

My impression of HCMC is that it is a steadily developing city, with help from other countries, it has planned for future towns for the steadily rising population. Also, I feel that HCMC is a warm and bustling city with many friendly people. HCMC also has a history that is very rich with religion, culture and customs. 

EQ 2. What is a culture?

A culture is the collected achievements and history of a certain society that defines the way the people lead and live their lives. 

EQ 3. What influences the culture of the country?

The main factors that influence the culture of the country are the country's history, customs and government.

Day 5&6 reflections

EQ1. What is your impression of HCMC?

It is a developing cities with areas of different modern advancements. For example many areas would be formed through less modernized buildings while others have many modernized buildings, shops and technology. 

EQ2. What is a culture?

A culture is the beliefs, personality, and behaviour of a country. It is like the flavour of the country, and it is unique to the particular location.

EQ3. What influences the culture of a country?

The people, living conditions, commercialisation and government influences the culture of a country. The people in the country will make up the country, they will be different from the people in other countries. The living conditions in different places will also vary. The commercialisation of a country contributes to the country's economic growth, so it is a very important factor in the culture of a country. The government makes decisions and lead the country in the path they want to, which determines where the country stands and how they get through their struggles.

EQ4. How is the retail development, a reflection of a country's development?

The retail development in a country is a reflection of a country's development because of the progress in the making and building of the places for retail stores. First there were the roadside stores which most people shop at, then the building of small shopping centres started which were developed for the richer people. Now there are big malls that sell branded goods for the even richer people. This shows how much a country has developed.

Day 5 Reflections by JiaEn

What is your impression of HCMC?

HCMC seems to be a very traditional city, still developing. The traffic is busier than Singapore's and it is harder to cross the roads. Rather than modernized shopping malls, there are more roadside stalls. However, there are modernized areas, not often frequented though. I do realize through the days that HCMC has very natural and nice environment. Away from the city are lots of plains and plantations, a stark contrast with Singapore's concrete jungle. I like that part of HCMC a lot.

What is a culture?

A culture is a custom, arts and norms of the people living in an area. It differs place to place, religion to religion. All of them have their uniquely beautiful points.

What influences the culture of a country?

The way the citizens behave, the environment the country offers and the economic state of the country influences the culture of a country. The citizens may have different complex beliefs that will cause the country to have a different culture to accommodate their needs. The environment of a country allows the people to live differently, and the environment can offer different raw materials that will affect the economic state of the country, thus giving the country the ability to develop and improve on different cultures.

How is the retail development, a reflection of a country's development?

The development is very well done, as there is an obvious difference in the hypermarkets from the traditional markets. However, the hypermarkets are currently not well-suited to the needs of the citizens of HCMC as it seems that the hypermarkets have much lesser people than the traditional markets even though they have better facilities. It is possibly due to the fact that development is incomplete. However, a great improvement in the modernization can be seen and the use of the concept "live-work-play-learn" is obvious.

Day 5 & 6 Reflection by Jonathan

Day 5 EQ1: Retail development is a image of the country's economy. The more expensive and wider the range of the goods sold, it shows that the country has a better and more well off economy. The better economy leads to a even better country development which goes in hand with each other.

Day 6 EQ1: HCMC is a relatively huge city with a special culture. It is the main city in the south of Vietnam and it looks very modernised in certain areas. The French, Chinese and American influence are visible and heightens the first impression of the city. HCMC has many visible signs of a developing city like the on-going constructions of new districts and megamalls.

Day 6 EQ2: A culture is the common shared belief and way of life of a group of people. It is usually closely linked to religious beliefs but a culture can be shared by anyone with the similar thoughts.

Day 6 EQ3: The influential factors of the culture of a country are geological locations, people who live there, the environment, the most dominant religion and many others. Such are crucial factors as the geological location can determine whether the country has a lot of excess to agriculture and water which determines whether more water and agriculture are being involved with the culture of the country. Also, the people and the race determines the culture as people of different races have different mindsets. Other factors have their own unique influence.

Day 5 and 6 Reflections by He Shiying

Day 5 Reflections

EQ1. How is the retail development a reflection of a country's development?

As the country grows from setting up road-side stores and wet markets to renting shop spaces in huge, modern stalls, this shows the advancement in the country's development in sanitary as well as location wise factors. 

Day 6 Reflections

EQ1. What is your current impression of hcmc?

My current impression of HCMC is a developing and extremely busy city with friendly people and a unique culture. What I love most in HCMC are the retail shops and markets where prices are negotiable and when there is such a huge variety of items for sale. 

EQ2. What is a culture

A culture is what defines a certain group of people by their actions and their beliefs. For example, a family 'culture' can be what a particular family does and treats a certain action passed down from generation to generation. 

EQ3. What influences the culture of a country?

The actions the people in the country have towards particular situations. For example, the vietnamese have a culture of bargaining for prices, in turn affecting tourists. Another example would be the use motorbikes as the people's main form of transport in the country. 

Day 5 and 6 Reflections by Valery

EQ1. What is your impression of HCMC?

HCMC's is very hot, has a lot of motorcycles and is very congested at certain areas. Unlike other countries where when you step out of the comfort of the bus and expect cold wind to hit you in the face, it is the hot dry feeling that is somewhat like Singapore, only warmer. The different styles of which each district seems to be planned is cool, and although it is still a developing country, it is beginning to develop into a country where many opportunities may grow.

EQ2. What is a culture?

A culture is somewhat like the customs, arts and achievements of the people or the nation.

EQ3. What influences the culture of a country?

The people and the government influences the culture of a country. Partnerships with other countries and combined developments are also main influences of a country's unique culture.

EQ4. How is the retail development, a reflection of a country's development?

Retail development plays an important role in the financial state of a country. The pricing of the products as compared to other countries may be a reflection of how well the country is doing compared to the other countries.