The Future Starts Now

On one recent hot afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City I set off in search of some lunch. After walking several blocks I approached a group of elderly Vietnamese men huddled around a small white plastic table. They were each sitting in small child-sized red plastic chairs. On the table were a few cans of ‘333 Beer’ on the table, and next to them on the ground was a large cardboard box littered with another 30-or-so empties. As I passed the eldest of the group looked up and gave me the biggest grin, exposing the 3 remaining teeth he had. He motioned for me to come closer as he got up out of his chair and offered it to me. One of the men reached into a burlap sack and produced a handful of ice cubes which he tossed into a plastic cup and then filled it with beer. We all lifted our cups in a toast to new friendships.

A few minutes later he stood up, walked across the street and into an ally. Moments later he emerged with a woman by his side. She hopped onto a scooter and sped off down the street as he rejoined us. She returned shortly thereafter with an entire 3-course meal balanced on the back of the bike. I tried to offer her cash for the food to which she absolutely refused. Happy to just have food in front of me I dug right in to a delicious combination of chicken (I think) and fresh veggies.

Despite the obvious language barrier, we managed to communicate with a lot of hand gestures from which I was able to discern that he had a son my age that he lost due to a land mine accident. He wanted me to know how he believed that my generation was the key to the future, and that we all needed to learn from the awful atrocities of The Vietnam War so that no one ever has to endure the same pain he has.

After I polished off my food and several more beers I stood up to say my goodbyes. The man embraced me all and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I could see the sadness in his eyes as I turned to leave, but I could also see the hope he had for the future.