Schooled

[Vung Tau, 2/22/26]

With the least detail, we don’t just betray ourselves as individuals, but indict or honor an entire society. Walking to Ten, I passed a masked woman in an áo dài. Within sight of the ocean, there’s no pollution. No one was near her. Barely breathing, she’s well schooled.

Though school, as in education, and school, as in fish moving together, have different roots, they make perfect sense when applied to humans. We’re schooled to move like fish with the tiniest brains.

Within five minutes of Ten are Salt Water, The Góc, Bistro Nine, Munterra, Red Parrot Bar, Mercury Hotel, Royal Hotel, Rex Hotel and Vietnam America Schools. Though most tourists here are domestic, of course it pays to accommodate foreigners. Plus, Vietnamese associate Western names with class. On social media, many have even reversed the order of their name, so Trần Văn Lém, for example, becomes Lem Tran, with even accent marks deleted.