Inspired by today’s featured article on Wikipedia here are a couple of pictures of some charming Vietnamese men. These pictures were taken during my short visit to Hanoi in 1995. Here is what I wrote at the time:
“Dec 7, 1995. Another long day in Hanoi, I enjoy sitting by the lake with the old men. This morning I went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum with two Danish women I met on the train. It was not as strange as visiting Mao in Beijing, but still weird. Last night I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant that only serves on dish – Fish Stew. It was great! Later, I wondered the streets and a very old lady with black teeth stopped me and said ‘Bonjour!’ I didn’t know what to say. Did she think it was 50 years ago and I was a French colonialist? I said ‘Bonjour’ in return. It was strange, but I found an odd reassurance in talking with her.”
For more about my trip to Vietnam see this earlier post.
These old guys look oddly cool and happy. It makes me jealous.
Chuck,
I couldn’t agree more. I’m sure these guys had more than their fair share of suffering, living in a war torn country tends to do that. It is good to know that by the time I met them they could spend their days sitting around with friends.