Dong

The current rate of exchange from U.S. dollar to the Vietnamese "dong" is $1 to 16,930. Suddenly I picture myself standing calculator-less at a sidewalk merchant's stall, gaping at my own inefficiency to perform mental math with such a seemingly odd sum. The dong has undergone dramatic inflation, and the cost of a simple meal could be in the hundreds or thousands. I heard the food portions are quite small in comparison to American standards (no "super-sizing" there), so it'd usually take double the order to fill you up.

Last night I finished reading my guide book, The Insight Pocket Guide: Vietnam. Don't ever read it--it's awful. The author is too opinionated and makes at least a dozen references to Graham Greene's novel, The Quiet American, as if that's the single, most important piece of literature ever to be associated with Viet Nam. I haven't read the novel, so I can't say if it's that good, but I could say that the author of my guide book relies too heavily on a piece of fiction to back up a work of nonfiction, and her references are lost on those who have not read Greene's novel. There's not enough practical advice for a first-time visitor of Viet Nam. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a guide book. Maybe I'm just eager to see for myself what it's like, to embrace the trip with the heart instead of just a cerebral account of famous tourist spots.