We dock here at the gateway to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, formerly Prey Nokor, Cambodia. We opted instead to go to what was supposed to be a small fishing village 45 minutes south. Vung Tau is actually a busy little city with swarms of mopeds in the throws of one great improvizational dance—streaming through crowded streets, tumbling around traffic circles, and swerving around our bus. The driver leans on the horn and honks his way through town, never breaking.
In dance and art, contrast makes things interesting and dramatic. Here, less than a half block from the modern luxury hotels, people live and sell their wares in tin covered shacks while children beg. Here, contrast is heartbreaking. That’s all I have to say today.
