At Cơm Niêu Rau Tập Tàng, I paid just $3.55 (83,000 đồng) for boiled fatty pork, fried tofu, rice cooked in a clay bowl and a can of Tiger. There was a 10% discount today, which was odd, since they always get lots of customers, and it's especially packed during weekends, when domestic tourists flood to Vũng Tàu.

This excellent meal was slightly marred by an faintly odd taste from my free glass of unsweetened iced tea. Though I suspected it wasn't quite clean, I said nothing, since I didn't want to sound like some fussy pussy.

Some American once observed, and I can't remember where I read this, that during your first week in Vietnam, you call the waiter if there's a fly in your drink. During your second week, you remove the fly yourself. By your third week, you drink the fly.

Once in Saigon, two flies collided in midair and landed in my phở, so of course, I just fished them out then continued eating. People who sell on sidewalks make little enough money as is.