The people of Vietnam are exceedingly gentle and polite and always bowing slightly when they greet you (which I always return). Always smiling and extending the most serene alpha vibes. They have ways of living and being that are very special and comforting. But the merchants across the street from the Palm Garden Resort don’t seem to be all that economically flush, and they let you know it. Not a complaint — just an observation.

By this I mean they come outside and hit on you when you come near their store (as I just did a while ago to buy some Diet Cokes). All you have to do is smile and say “no thanks” and that’s the end of it. But in this sense Vietnam is a bit like Morocco. The Vietnamese are less pushy, but they want those tourist dollars!

It’s fascinating to be lying on a reclining chair under a palm-frond umbrella and watch fishermen spreading nets from their put-put sampans as well as pairs of guys wading waist-deep in the water and throwing nets. It’s hot out there and the air is quite humid. Muggy but not buggy.