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Photographed at Ned Kelly last night. This tablet of Vietnamese words and phrases belongs to a 77-year-old American, Jerry, who's been in Vietnam just a couple of years. Nothing he tried to say to me was intelligible, however, for his pronunciation was so bad. Even single words he said, over and over, made no sense to me. Jerry tried to crack a joke, "Tôi độc thân. Tôi không có chủ nhân," but I couldn't understand it until he showed me the writing. Translation, "I'm single. I have no owner."

Born and raised in Kansas, Jerry was in the navy so saw a bit of Asia. He then moved to Alaska, where he worked as a ferry boat captain. Twenty years ago, he came to Thailand and stayed in Phuket then Pattaya. When the laws there became more stringent for foreigners, he shifted to Kampong then Sihanoukville in Cambodia, then the Chinese moved in and priced most foreigners out of those places.

At Ned Kelly, there was also 68-year-old Rob, a California restauranter who had also spent a decade in Hawaii before coming to Southeast Asia ten years ago. He's been in Vietnam just several days. Like Jerry, he was also in Thailand and Cambodia.

When I asked what made him move to Asia, Rob cheerfully said, "Yellow fever!"

In Kampong, there were also young hipsters, not just old guys, Rob informed me.

"So they must get all the pussies!" I said.

"No, they fuck each other!"

In San Francisco, Rob had a restaurant in North Beach, and he also owned eateries in Thailand and Cambodia. After Vung Tau, Rob will head north to Danang and Hue. He's thinking of relocating here.

Rob was at a Vung Tau restaurant when Vietnam beat Cambodia in soccer, and he said it was remarkable how warmly he was treated, for the Vietnamese included him in their celebration.



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