Poet Nguyễn Quốc Chánh và photographer/translator Cao Hùng Lynh, who's also the owner of Café Ca Dao.

At Ca Dao, I usually sit outside at a stone table. Taking brief breaks from writing, I walk barefoot up and down that alley in the back.

Green spaces are rare in Vietnamese cities, so even this tiny oasis is much appreciated. In Berlin 18 years ago, Chánh and I were at some beer garden in the middle of a forest, it seemed. "Just look at this," he said. "How can you beat this?"