[Washington, 7/27/17]
As a lifelong resident of Vũng Tàu, one who has never set foot outside its limits for even five seconds, I’m getting nauseated by the invasion of my seaside paradise by petty bourgeoisie Saigonese. (Many of them, admittedly, are also card carrying Party members, but there’s nothing more communal than partying with fellow fat cats!) This plague intensifies during the summer, especially on weekends, so this morning, for example, I couldn’t even drink my cappuccino, eat xôi xéo then take a few drags of thuốc lào in relative peace, as I sat, leaning back, to look at my ocean. (If you think that sounds rather bourgeoisie, you can suck my, ah, deflated progress!) The only solution, obviously, is to declare Vũng Tàu an independent republic, with me as its first and last president.