Pham Ngu Lauers

Once every few days we like to do some type of tourist activity like hang out at Pham Ngu Lau, the backpaker district, and intently observe "first-timers" and "old-timers" alike. There are those who come in search of anonymity, others who are blatently devious and proud of it. Then there are the 20-somethings that hang out at places like the Go To Bar (the old Heart of Darkness) in their tour group and swap stories of their recent trips to Cambodia and Laos. And out of the corner of your eye you'll see the older, worn out American Vet, milking his Johnny Walker as he considers the array of propositions he receives throughout the evening. Splattered all over the place is a kaleidescope of foreign travellers, some in search of a long-time-gone romanticised dream, others, wandering about with just plain deer-in-headlights looks. Maybe some believe the dream and think they'll find it backpacking through this urban jungle, or by indulging in one of the many luxurious recreations of the French Colonial epoch (note: in 1859 the French naval destroyed what the Nguyen emporers had built here, only to rebuild it as a colonial city and rename it Saigon, meaning "wood of the kapok tree". My point being that the romanticised notion of Indochine should be taken with a grain of salt, and should not be the sole lens through which it is seen nor experienced. Especially because the French only ruled indirectly for a brief period, considering this country's long standing history.)

Anyways....on with the blog...

And somewhere in between stand the tax evaders, the small-time drug dealers that "can't" return home. However, they can only hide for so long in their ex-pat bars and pretend this world is their oyster, because, really, they are the golden oysters in the eyes of the everyday people.

But those who choose not to return home end up going into some sort of business, like making plaster fountains in Vung Tau or the like. And, we know this, how? Well, we've developed some good eavesdropping, observational and conversational skills over the past several weeks as we try to understand what it is that has drawn over 400,000 tourists in the month of February alone!

And we discover new answers to that question everyday.