Appearances are deceiving. Things are not always as they seem. Yes, I’m living in a hotel in a dirty, narrow alley in Saigon. But life is good in the alley. This Bentley is parked at the entrance to the alley every morning. The MSRP on the car is $200,000 plus 100% import tax. The per capita income in Vietnam is now $1,300 per year. I have no idea who the car belongs to but he has something going in the alley. Got to keep our eyes peeled.

Then just inside the entrance to the alley is the Senior Center. Every morning this group gathers for pho and gossip. Many of the “elders” here are living on their US Social Security benefits. Marilynn wants the black hair dye/shoe polish franchise in Saigon, but there are a few gray hairs in this particular group. read more

Vietnam has a vibrant coffee culture. It is the second largest exporter of coffee in the world – after Brazil. There are coffee places everywhere. Carts on the street. Hole in the wall joints on every block. Local chains like Trung Nguyen and Highlands Coffee. International chains like Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (American), Gloria Jeans (Australian), Illy and Lavazza (Italian). But, until now the elephant has been missing from the room.

Until now!

Starbucks opened its first store in Vietnam on February 1st. The opening was a major cluster f…. People who make $500 a month stood in line for more than 2 hours to pay the equivalent of $3.50 for a latte and one hour of wi-fi usage. Three lines snaked around the New World Hotel block where the store is located. read more

Yesterday I was struggling to find the subject for my next blog post. I had just finished Alexander Maksik’s excellent short story, Deeper Winter, in the March issue of Harper’s, and I thought that might be it. It is an interesting story and the author is a friend whose work I admire and love to promote. But, the day took a different direction when a Vietnamese friend invited us out.

In the 6 years that we have been hanging around Vietnam we have attended a number of “performances” and most have been disappointing. We’ve seen water puppets in Hanoi, traditional dances in Hue, light shows in Hoi An, music recitals, visiting orchestras, school talent shows, Hard Rock Cafe grand openings, and holiday galas. None of them has captured our imaginations like the one last night. read more

Having ranted about my disappointed expectations in Seoul yesterday I want to get back on track today. Our visit to Korea has had some interesting synchronicity. North Korea has been hogging the news cycle, even in the US, recently. Last week, Dennis Rodman, jumped into the headlines by appearing with Kim Jong-Un and proclaimed his love for the pudgy little dictator and delivered the message that all the North Korean leader wanted was to have President Obama “give him a call.” Who would have guessed that “The Worm” would be the catalyst for resolution on the Korean peninsula? How I Learned to Love Kim Jong-Un and the Bomb. It’s a catchy title for his autobiography, eh? read more