My first trip to this Country was January 1998. I travelled with the 2 colleagues i had studied with the year prior in Scheinfeld, Germany. This was our first experience of a Chinese New Year/ TET Holiday. No one prepared us for what we experienced. Ho Chi Minh was a city that had an exotic pulse. It was vibrant, loud, chaotic, it was fun and it was still evolving. I was hooked.

In 1998 if you landed in Saigon the city was simple. You saw a fish mach of buildings - some were painted a bright gold and white. Slightly faded and crumbling but with dark wood interiors, and this sexy blend of Asian and European influences. Other buildings were cheap ugly and everything was crammed together. it all fit together beautifully. The women were riding bicycles or motorcycles and most wearing the traditional Ao Dai dresses, long gloves and broad brimmed hats all in the name of protecting themselves from the sun. 90% of the transportation was on bicycles or scooters. Horns constantly beeping to warn others to get out of the way. Crossing the street was like playing a real live game of Frogger. It was fantastic!

Commerce was everywhere. Cafes, shops, hawkers and lots of Motorcycles overstuffed with goods on the streets. It was not uncommon to see Motorcycles stacked 15 feet high with Coconuts, refrigerators, Styrofoam coolers and chickens. Chickens were everywhere. It was chaotic, loud, dirty and I loved it.

In 2007 I had the chance to move to Ho Chi Minh City. I jumped at the opportunity. Saigon in 2007 was starting to see high rises on the horizon, investment from the Global economy and an economy that was on fire. I was the first female leader responsible for leading the Footwear Sourcing Operations for my company over a country or Region. This role covered Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. This was the biggest job I had ever had and was challenged at home with my relationship. I just turned 40.

Good Morning, Vietnam!