"I am just a boy working in a record store//yes I moved to San Francisco just to see what I could be//I am a loser-geek, crazy with an evil streak//yes I do believe there is a violent thing inside of me." -Everclear

Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam. I didn't realize how much the clusterfuck of Saigon was getting to me until I left. This trip has been pretty city-heavy, but I like that. I love cities, and it's so perplexing to land in these dense populations and find yourself immediately lost in neon and traffic.







(People do crazy shit while scooting! The first I call "Text and Scoot," the second I call "Dog, Lady, Dog, Lady, Scoot.")

My sister tells me that 16 years ago, before Vietnam lifted the trade embargo, it was quite a raw place with little "Western" influence. This is no longer the case.




(New brand. Barnacled Nescafe! Delicious!)

Even here, where I sit, a one hour flight north of Saigon and an hour drive south from Danang. Hoi An, a tiny beach town, and they sell coca-cola and Oreos and American cigarettes, there are droves of Japanese motorbikes, German cars and restaurants with menus in English. American pool halls and French chess cafes. It's fun to creep out of the backpacker district and go to spots where there aren't any tourists. You get some funny looks and one restaurant we tried to patronize had chairs that I literally could not fit into.

It's easy to get lost. Shit, I get lost in San Francisco. But it feels like it's harder than ever to lose yourself. Maybe we aren't looking hard enough. Maybe we'll have better luck farther north.





Until then, it's a nice enough town, though moderately despoiled by tourism. But whose fault is that? Actually, maybe the best beach I've ever hit. The ocean is like a hot-tub, the sand is smooth and the whole place is relatively clean. Compared to Pattaya and Bali, it's a hospital.





Even the communism is kinda clean here. There are trucks that roam around with loudspeaker propaganda, but other than that, nothing wildly overt. I gather it's a bit more like socialism these days, but they sure do love their Uncle Ho. His face is everywhere you turn.

I like the Vietnamese people. They're hustlers like the Thai, but it's more laid back. Both genuinely want to get to know the fools they're grifting.

My head hurts. It's late. Going to Danang tomorrow and then Ha Noi the day after - potentially by train. A bit cheaper than the flight, but the train takes 20 hours. Hope I can fall asleep now.

Location:Hoi An, Vietnam