FROM THE FIELD NOTES
“It was a relatively cool day in Hanoi, which was just as well because the drive from Haiphong had taken nearly four hours, much of the time waiting behind oxcarts, and the countryside was hot and humid. On my way to an office along Hang Bai Street l ran into this group of youngsters and their teacher on their way to the Ho Chi Minh memorial. He right away realized the level of my broken French, and explained patiently that he taught history, and took his class on a field trip several times a year.