Back Road to Near Towns

[Thắng Hải, 1/31/25]

On my last morning in La Gi, I had very good coffee with two old guys at a sidewalk café. One man was from Thanh Hóa, 865 miles north. In 1979, he was sent south by the army. In the 80’s, he could have gone to Cambodia to train its police, but passed that up. “There were too many landmines.” The chance of stepping on one couldn’t have been great, I thought. He was amused I had come to La Gi just to look around. Leaning back, I was careful to not appear like an American.

Wandering around a bit, I chanced upon a predawn mass in Tân Lập Parish. Even with churches everywhere, most overflow at each service. Nearly a hundred sat on red plastic stools in the semi dark. Lit up on a distant wall was the crucifix. Among the statues at nearby houses, there was one of Saint Trần Văn Trông. In 1835, he was tortured with 12 others. Everyone but the saint renounced his Catholicism. Beheaded at a public market, Trần Văn Trồng was just 27.

I flagged an old bus heading south. Since it was unseasonably cold, many passengers were in hoodies. To the fare lady, I promptly said Tân Thắng Market, 12 miles away. Despite myself, I could feel my head and chest doubling in size. My next challenge was to recognize that damn market. Without being called, I did get up before the bus even stopped.