Kim,

I want to formally thank you for your work for Syracuse University Abroad whose representatives, Lou Berends and Cara Hardy, I'm copying on the message as well as our tour guide, Vinh. I was very pleased with the hotel and flight arrangements, and all the activities planned came off very nicely. There were no delays or disruptions, and the students all expressed their appreciation of how smoothly everything went during their time in the country.

All this was possible because of the extraordinary guidance provided by Vinh, who would serenade the group on the bus with Vietnamese love songs. We didn't understand his words, but were deeply touched by his humanity and kindness. We all loved him to pieces, and I might add, because Trisha and I have known Vinh since December 2012 and have worked with him three times, we have come to embrace him as a son and brother to Brianna. The special soul he is, Vinh made the trip so much fun for everyone. He was well-informed, patiently answered our questions, and always kept us informed of the day's activities. In addition to singing to us, he brought good cheer, smiles, encouragement, and a joie d'vivre that was infectious to all of us. We had a blast because of him.

I must note Vinh's flexibility and eagerness to meet our wishes. When we realized that the itinerary in the Mekong Delta wasn't what we had expected, Vinh and Kim worked very hard to adjust the schedule to satisfy our expectation, and as a result, the tour of the Delta was fantastic. We were delighted with it. The motorcycle ride to the restaurant had us singing and yelling at the top of our lungs! Vinh worked his magic to make sure we were happy.

Chuc mung nam moi!
Michael A Schwartz (traveled in Vietnam in Jan 2017)
Office of Clinical Legal Education
Syracuse University College of Law