Frantic Noise and Spectacle Utopia

[Vung Tau, 9/10/25]

My initial visit to Laos was in 2020. That first evening in Savannakhet, I was astounded by how good Beerlao was. In one of the poorest Oriental countries, you can get a much better lager than Bud, Miller, Pabst, Coors, Rolling Rock or Yuengling, etc., and it’s also much cheaper. Laos themselves don’t know this. Many would pay twice as much for a crappy Budweiser, just to experience an American brew.

Three years later in Pakse, I saw Coredo, an Italian, drinking a Beerlao before 6AM at a skanky Vietnamese eatery. Coredo’s Dok Mai Lao Trattoria Italiana had four Belgian beers, plus English, German, Italian and Dutch ones, yet here he was with a tall bottle of Beerlao just after dawn.

Doing the same many times nudged my damaged liver towards the edge. In nearby Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, it finally tipped over, after a deep fried “Western Combo” meal. Aghast, I watched that slimy, bloated blob plunge towards the abyss, with a bitter glare backward, plus an upturned finger. “You will pay!” it screamed.