Quick 7G Team Update: Safe and Sound in Saigon, Vietnam

Quick update from the 7G team: we have arrived safely in Saigon, Vietnam! 

After a thirteen-hour flight from Los Angeles to Taipei, a one-hour flight overlay, and a three-hour flight from Taipei to Saigon, we have safely arrived and checked in at the hotel. It is currently Thursday, August 8th, 3:20 pm (a fourteen-hour difference from Pacific Standard time). After gathering all of our luggage and transferring the boxes of medical supplies to the local hospital, we ate lunch at the Buffet Ganh Restaurant at the Bong Sen Hotel. The team was able to taste the authentic Vietnamese food and especially enjoyed the exotic fruit, rambutan, grown here in Vietnam. After satisfying our appetite, we made our way to the hotel.

The exotic fruit, rambutan, grown locally in Vietnam.

Day 1 is a free day for the 7G team to adjust to the new environment. The itinerary for today is getting our SIM cards for our phones here in Vietnam, exchanging money as a group, going to the supermarket to buy bottled water and snacks for clinics, eating dinner, and starting day 1 of the dental training by Dr. Timothy Bui. In addition, today is a day for the team to prepare and rest before visiting the Thien Binh Orphanage in Đồng Nai tomorrow.

Further details will be posted later on about our air plane flight, transfer of medical supplies to the local hospital, and the initial reactions of our 7G goers to the city itself. Please check back in later as well for photos!

Written by Johnson.