Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City
April 2010 • Had intended to skip Vietnam because of its dubious reputation among travelers, but the pull of family ties ended up being too strong. Unsurprisingly, the taxi driver who took me to Sarah and Boonma's secure high-rise building tried to gouge me on the fare. When I wouldn't pay the add-on, he hijacked me to the other side of town and dumped me and my bag by the roadside. Welcome to HCMC. Hard to believe this is actually a communist country. There was a huge celebration on the 35th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, but the ceremony and parade were closed off to the people, so they went instead to the grand opening of a luxury shopping center to browse the wares of Dior, Armani, Burberry, and Lady Americana Premium Bedding. No shortage of irony here. The big breakthrough came when I met Tam at the War Remnants Museum. She invited me to visit her English club, and from that point forward I never had to sweat another pirate taxi driver.
