I first saw him in the high rent district when I was looking for the Vietnam Airlines office around 18:00 a few nights ago. He is a Caucasian and was sitting in the semidarkness on a piece of cardboard on the kerbside of a major street with a sign in Vietnamese hanging around his neck and a couple of carrier bags with his belongings beside him.
As I walked slowly back to the backpacker area where I am staying in an Airbnb he kept passing me. I was walking on the broken, potholed sidewalks and stopping for red lights while he was walking against traffic in the street, not bothering with traffic lights and making better time. We nodded each time we crossed paths.
Finally after about 30 minutes I got to Pham Ngu Lao where I am staying and there he was sitting on the kerbside again with his sign. He waved, I said hello and he replied bonsoir. So I asked, in French where are you from ? Corsica, how did you end up in Vietnam ? I walked from India, across Myanmar, then across Thailand and across Cambodia and here I am in Vietnam. What were you doing in India and how long where you there ? Four years and I was studying spiritualism.
Keeping my son Patrick’s advice concerning my penchant for talking to strangers “if they look like they hear voices stay well back” I asked and what do you do ? I am a magician and I can solve many kinds of personal problems. Well you are the first person I have met that walked from India to Vietnam, would you mind if I take your picture ? I didn’t have a chance to shave, he pulled down his anti-pollution face mask, so its probably not a good idea. I told him it was dark and his not shaving would not be visible and also to date he was the first magician I had met. I asked where are you going next, he is after all in the south of Vietnam and up against the Pacific Ocean ? Oh I’ll just keep walking.
So here he is.
The sign says something like “I am broke and need money to get home”. I gave him some money and wished him well.
This morning I saw a well dressed Caucasian walking on a busy downtown Saigon street in bright sunlight and gesturing violently with both hands while chewing energetically on the right hand shoulder strap of backpack. I decided against trying to start a conversation..