It's Always Sunny In Saigon...

My, how Saigon has changed! To put it in the currency I can best appreciate… fashion…The last time I was here, the ritzy Duong Don Khoi (Newbury Street/Michigan Ave/Rodeo Dr) was home to various vendors, arguably, the most notable and easily recognizable of which was Lacoste. For those of you who know fashion, well, Lacoste isn't exactly elite. I bought my first Lacoste top there----an ugly halter style thing I have long since sold to Second Time Around. Ironic I should decide to purchase such an item considering how prolific good knock-offs are in these parts, but, well, I think I was drunk. My friend Hillary can probably support this hypothesis. In any case, Don Khoi has grown up QUITE a bit in seven years. SEVEN YEARS. Sure, in some senses it’s a long time…Children that were 6 are now 13. That’s a big difference. But in the grand scheme of development, it’s not that long. How far has Boston come in seven years? An inch? Saigon? Another story all together…Now, what do I find on Don Khoi? Chloe. Marc Jacobs. Louis Vuitton. Escada. Gucci. Pretty mind-blowing. From Lacoste to ALL THE BIG NAMES. Speaking with some French women who’ve been living here a little while now, they inform me that most all of those boutiques are mostly empty most all of the time, but, regardless, their presence alone is a HUGE testament to the miles this city has traveled in a relatively short time. The sounds of Saigon are construction. The look of Saigon is a face-lift in progress. It’s incredible to bear witness to a city in the throes of capitalist evolution. Revolution? A communist country, sure. But what does that even mean? Vietnam has, just in the last year, opened up commerce to international entrepreneurs. This time last year, I wouldn’t have been able to open a business here. Not so today. I'm not sure what it all means, but I do know that the astronomical asking price of an $8 cocktail buys you a view from a much higher vantage point than it did seven years ago. It certainly will be interesting to see where the Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh is in another lucky 7 years.