Silence

When I decided to go to Vietnam I promised myself to keep an open mind - to view things not just through the lens of politics or war, but through the eyes of the people I meet, and to remember that political systems function within different cultural and ideological contexts. As an American, I try not to push glib and potentially offensive questions like, "So, like, do you think of the government here?" as they tend to be read in the way they were actually intended (Is your regime really as repressive as we all think it is?). Because on the whole things seem quite alright - life carries on as normal. Sometimes it can be hard to stay objective though, and responses like this one say a lot.

"I love my country, and I love our culture. But you have to understand, Vietnam is not a free-talking society, Brian. I can't really say. I mean, I don't know, maybe sometimes if somebody gets me a little bit drunk I might...but no, I can't really say. I mean, when you're so used to not talking about it, it's hard to even know how to answer..."

"I mean, it's not as bad as China or anything" is also a popular and cryptic refrain.