Good evening, Viet Nam

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My route today takes me from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Sai Gon) to Ha Noi, where I'll be picked up by Min, a graduate of my university and our primary Viet Nam contact at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. I was there in August, 2007 and a member of my faculty recently visited. One of the things I'll be doing is following up on their relationship-building work.

I'll be giving 6 lectures (and, perhaps, more) and have several consultations and meetings scheduled, including with some people I met last time. I have the weekend to "refresh," as their schedule puts it, but I think this will translate to writing lectures. I wrote three yesterday. However, I plan to have some fun, since a member of my college class D and his wife are in Hanoi. I'm looking forward to eating pho (beef noodle soup with anise) and catching up. D spends a lot of time thinking about what he does and how it's perceived. I admire his insights and self-scrutiny.

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