“… When the bus drops us off at the rendez-vous point, a long hot day is getting old and Club Med 2’s silhouette thrones on a grandiose horizon background of oranges and reds. We are granted a stunning sunset on the South China Sea, a rare occurrence since the Vietnamese coast is generally oriented towards the East. Time slows down to a halt and minutes tick by as a few lonely pirogues glide effortlessly on a glassy ocean. Then the sun sinks below the surface of the world and darkness creeps in. We return to our bright onboard lights leaving behind us the simple poverty and warm smile of these people who seem to no longer even need hope…”

Hue, Vietnam. Summer of ’94