In which I minister to the ministry
December 12, 2023
The next few days were solidly dedicated to work: an 8.30-5PM seminar series delivered by myself and colleagues from the Center for AI and Digital Ethics (CAIDE)–led by the fearless Professor Jeannie Paterson.
One of the key goals was working with local contacts to up-skill government and local lawyers with the impending rise of AI and AI regulation.
My major role in our contingent was to explain the fundamentals of generative AI to provide a basis for a nuanced discussion of regulation. Outside of that, I provided perspectives on legal and regulatory developments in the USA and EU. Things move so quickly in the area that each day I needed to update my content!
We had an incredibly fulfilling time with strong engagement from our local partners–and learned a little about the operation of Vietnamese law in the process.
On Tuesday night, my last night in Vietnam, the gang (minus Jeannie) set out to visit the night market and tour a little of the French Quarter with Nhung. She made it incredibly apparent the extent to which visitors pay a ‘tourist tax’ with an egg Banh Mi running about $1 for her, or about $5 for tourists.
Nhung also helped buy me a new winter coat for my upcoming trip to the Baltics. It was lovely to be fussed over for a few minutes and have someone to help decide on the right coat (spoiler: the elastics on it fell apart pretty fast!)
While everyone else wanted an early night, as I was leaving the next day I wanted to make the most of my time.
In particular, I wanted to practice as much Vietnamese as I could. So I took my camera and looked for opportunities to take portraits in return for a few short conversations.
Walking the old quarter as a tourist, one is constantly solicited by restaurants, bars, massage parlours, and market stalls. With a few friendly words of Vietnamese, I was immediately treated differently, and in a much more genuinely warm-seeming way. Specifically, I attempted to learn some of the complex systems used for terms of address, according to which terms varied by age and relative social standing. Just saying hello with the right sentence suffix garnered many smiles!
In which I visit the capital, old.
December 10, 2023
Sunday’s activities included a trip out of the city, to Nimh Binh, a city in the red river delta, and also to Hue, the old capital from the mid 1700s to 1945.
This was a chance to see some of Vietnam’s natural beauty before being remanded to the hotel for a few days of talks.
This time I was not alone! I was joined by Susie (PhD Candidate), Simon (Senior Lecturer), Abi (centre administrator), and Nhung (local guide and colleague extraordinaire).
I particularly valued the time with Nhung as she patiently spent time helping me learning some rudimentary Vietnamese.
River Ride
The trip began with a car journey of a few hours, after which we stopped by a river to visit a cave system through which it flowed.
Simon and I were together on a boat along with a local who rowed the boat, both with hands, and feet! Other than an attempt at high-pressure sales of tourist trinkets, the ride was a beautiful chance to get some fresh air and see something of nature.
Joy of joys, on the side of the river I did manage to spot banana tress! I somehow always manage to fit at least a little banana tourism into every trip…
Hang Mua Peak
Returning from the river, the team enjoyed a spot of lunch before continuing on for some light mountain climbing.
500 steps to the top of Hang Mua Peak!
Rushing a little too fast and overestimating my fitness (degraded since a foot injury), I found myself light-headed and gasping for air near the stop. Slow and steady wins the race?
The views, while picturesque, to me, were secondary to the enjoyable experience of the climb up. This was despite the 30 degree heat and intense humidity.
The day was already drawing fast to a close, so we raced off to visit the old palace in Hue. With expansive landscaping, curated courtyards, and a small but cozy temple at the end, we all enjoyed our small adventure.
After a few hours back, we were all pretty exhausted, so had a quick dinner, and only I went off back into the city for a walk.