It was a heated duel. Truth be told, I was losing. I forgot how many times the computer had beat me in Connect Four (3 in a row). I lost track of the number of headlines that included corruption or Charbonneau as I read from…
Where you wake up every morning to the sounds of gentle water lapping against your bungalow door, because the guesthouse pool is adjacent to your room, and it is indeed a private pool because the other guests are old French couples who seem to fear…
“That price seems fair, and I don't want to insult him by negotiating” “OK, I guess if my hotel burned down you can take me to another one” “Let's stay in and cook tonight, all the restaurants are unaffordable” “Really? Your brother has a gem…
Where there's always a motorbike to take you somewhere -“Motorbike? Motorbike?” – and there's always a way to make a five minute walk seem far. Until, of course, you actually need a motorbike. Where the coast in Nha Trang stretches long and white, and has…
Where typical Vietnamese conical hats – woven from reeds to offer airy shade – are worn by rice farmers in the paddies, vendors in the city, and tourists in the departures line at the airport. Where unemployment is virtually nonexistent (much to the communist government's…
Where the nation’s beloved king, who rules from billboards and calendars across the country, is a people's chameleon: in the working city, the welcome sign depicts the king in a hardhat; in the artsy town, the king looks out from behind his camera; and at…
Where people drink juices, hot milk teas and other suspiciously-coloured liquids from plastic bags, which they carry around like intravenous handbags on strings. Where industrialization is still in a selfish state: Men throw wrappers and cigarette buts freely on the ground. Children send used napkins…
