I sometimes forget just how wealthy Singapore is. Yes, there are some poor people, but you don’t see anyone sleeping in doorways. And yes, some of the housing is far from luxurious, though nothing that would be called substandard, unless you are a foreign guest worker, then accommodations can be pretty grim. Bear with me while I give you a few statistics to put things in context. (You may skip ahead a few paragraphs if you want, or you can read through and wow your friends with this knowledge.) When you look at rankings of per capita GDP (Gross Domestic Product), Singapore comes in third, behind Qatar and Luxemburg. The United States comes in at number eleven, Australia at eighteen, and Canada ranks twenty-second among the world economies. Add to that, the island city-state is home ... read more

Did I ever tell you how much I like Singapore? I crossed into Singapore with a sense of relief, though getting here was a pain in the ass. I admit that Saigon exhausted me; the constant whine of motorbikes, the air pollution from all the motorbikes, the broken sidewalks full of motorbikes with no place to walk. In the past I have always entered Singapore through Changi Airport which is an absolute model of comfort and efficiency. I have landed in Changi, deplaned, gone through customs and Immigration, changed money, and been in the back of a taxi, all within twenty minutes. Entering Singapore by land from Johor Bahru, Malaysia is nothing like that. I had a good reason – which turned out to be a crummy reason – to go through Malaysia when I made ... read more

There are some things that I know, or at least think I know. In fact, I’m down right certain of certain historical facts. Except that some of those facts are wrong. OK, they may contain a kernel of truth, but sometimes the whole truth is ever so much more interesting. The war in Vietnam may be one of the most thoroughly documented wars in history. There were pictures in the newspapers and in magazines, and the six o’clock news was full of images. And I remember the stories behind those images, except that some of what I remember isn’t quite true. One of the most iconic images to come out of Vietnam is that of Thích Quảng Đức, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk who set himself on fire to protest the war. Except that is not the ... read more

I like markets. I like interesting supermarkets, but I also like big, wet, smelly markets where you can buy everything from soap to spices to fishes that were flopping around just a minute ago. Ben Thanh Market in Saigon is just such a market. I’ve learned to go to these sorts of markets early in the day. They tend to be a little cooler and a little less crowded then. And, too, many merchants think making a sale early in the day will bring them luck. I had been there earlier in the week and had seen a silk shirt that I wanted. I went there this morning with great resolve; I knew how much I wanted to pay, and I knew the most I was willing to spend. It also helps to have a good ... read more

As a US citizen, I am a national of one of the countries that must have a visa to enter Vietnam. The visa on arrival process seemed cumbersome and time consuming, so I elected to get my visa before I left the US. (If you are part of a tour group, the tour company will arrange a visa for you that you can pick up at the airport. I’m not part of a tour group.) There are two ways to get your visa in advance: you can mail (or bring) your passport to the Vietnamese consulate for the visa stamp, or you can apply for a “loose leaf” visa, in which case you just send a scan of your passport. And, of course, your money, certified check only please. To me, the thought of sending my ... read more