Pho for thought

Forty years after our parents' generation faced the decision to fight in Vietnam, dodge the draft, linger in academia, or... and almost thirty years after Saigon fell to communism and was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, our group of twenty-somethings visited HCMC as tourists.

At the Notre Dame Basilica in HCMC

Aside from the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels, there aren't many reminders of the Vietnam War (err, the American War) around HCMC. There's Starbuck's and Burger King, Gucci and Prada, wealthy neighborhoods and slums, and tons of traffic. Very much the L.A. of the subcontinent.

You can't help but wonder what Baghdad will be like in 2043, forty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq. Will there be fast food and luxury goods? Will the population welcome American visitors? Will our kids visit during a pre-business school adventure? Does mixing Malarone and Cipro do funny things to your inner monologue?