There is a duality to Vietnam that possesses the landscape and its people. A puzzling double entendre whose irony therein lies in and of itself—foreign to the tourists, but integral to the locals’ daily lives.
To the tourist, the paradox of Vietnam slowly reveals itself, whispers itself to you like a secret. Step off the plane and the airport security coerces bribes and then offers to help you find your luggage. Walk through the streets and see the skyscrapers jutting out like mountains from the ground, juxtaposed by the patches of wildlife interspersed throughout the country—even in the big cities—like Spanish pueblos. Stop to listen and hear the sprinkling of English in the local tongue; henceforth emerges a hybrid language and its unusual dichotomy. Maybe it’s because of our catalog-cut culture, or our modern-day archetypes and fashion hypes, but the cultural incompatibilities feel almost incomprehensible.