Adam Croglia, a US student, described his recently-concluded internship to Vietnam to be very rewarding and culturally enriching.

He told a reporter of US online “The Buffalo News” that “living there opened my eyes in a way I couldn’t get from visiting.”

After visiting Vietnam as a tourist twice before with his family—for a month in 2006 and again in 2007 — Croglia went again for 11 weeks this summer as an intern with the Institute of International Education, an organisation in Ho Chi Minh City promoting cultural exchange.

"Vietnam is a rapidly developing country with a remarkable desire to globalize," said Croglia, who travelled through a grant funded by his college.

He told a reporter of US online "the Buffalo News" that "living there opened my eyes in a way I couldn’t get from visiting."

In Ho Chi Minh City , Croglia advised and educated Vietnamese students interested in pursuing an education at US colleges and universities.

Croglia, 20, gave presentations in many colleges in Vietnam on resumes, personal statements and relationship building. The 2006 St. Joseph ’s Collegiate Institute graduate said the students were very receptive and intrigued by American culture and education.

"The students who I interacted with had an immense interest in both American schools as well as American culture," Croglia said. "Educationally, they find it fascinating how we do college in the states."

"I learned just as much from them as they learned from me," he said, noting that the people were very friendly and engaging. "They’re very eager to learn about you and to teach you about themselves."

His biggest surprise during the trip was experiencing the cultural differences in the workplace. He said the biggest gap is the somewhat slower pace and the fact that Vietnamese workers are focused on "ensuring accuracy all the time." He also found the workplace there to be more "communal" with more concern about "you as a person".

Croglia said he made good friends while in Vietnam and he hopes to return to Vietnam in the future in a different capacity. He plans to pursue a career in foreign service with the State Department, saying his recent trip reaffirmed that desire./.