Near Miss

We're in the midst of the Tet holiday here in Vietnam.  It's odd because the streets are strangely quiet and most of the stores and markets are closed and boarded up.  All of the metal gates on the shopfronts are drawn making our neighborhood seem desolate.  There is little to no traffic, which only serves to punctuate the emptiness.  In order take advantage of this strange lull in the buzz, we decided to walk to dinner last night.

Since nearly all our usual dining spots are closed for the holiday, we had to go someplace new.  We decided to go to Buddha Bar, where Reyna has been once and I have never been.  It's still on the main drag of our neighborhood, but a slightly further walk than either of our normal places on this street.  I suggested we walk since we'd both spent most of the day in the house; me working on photos and Reyna working on her schoolwork.  Even though we're supposed to be on vacation, we're never really on vacation. We walked together chatting on the quiet street.  Enjoying the fresh air and the quiet.

Reyna was walking on the street side of me as we passed the gated area of our district that houses the ultra-riche oil barons and gas giants. I heard Reyna utter a half-scream/half-groan.  I looked over to see a man on a red motorbike grabbing at her and then speeding off.  "Holy shit!" we both exclaimed at the same time.

"Did they get it?" I asked.
"No." She responded breathlessly.  "I had it under my arm and I don't think he could get a grip on it."

So we were victims of a random purse snatching attempt.  It was amazing how quietly the motorbike crept up on us.  I always thought when it happened, it would be on a more crowded and noisy street.  The numbers allow for greater anonimity and make it easier for the victim to not hear the approaching thief.

We changed places -me on the street side and Reyna to my left- and continued our walk to dinner.  I put my wallet in my front pocket and Reyna put her purse under her shirt.  A minute later we were laughing about it even though the entire event scared us both.  Despite being hungry when we left the house, by the time we reached the Buddha Bar neither of us felt like eating.  The adrenaline had killed our appetites.  I looked around at the people at the bar.  None of them seemed interested in talking with us and the extent of the bartender's English was limited to the items on the menu.  There was no one to discuss our recent adventure with.  We clinked our glasses and then sat quietly watching tennis until the shock subsided.

We ate, chatted, and listened to the strange mix of music in the bar (pop-punk and Elvis?) until it was time to walk home.  We walked on the opposite side of the street this time.  I was careful to make sure that I walked between Reyna and the street.  As we passed the closed gates and darkened houses, a huge dog went into attack mode.  A gigantic rottweiler lunged at us from behind one of the gates. It looked like a black spectre behind the bars of the house and we nearly jumped out of our skin.  "I'm so jumpy!" Reyna exclaimed.  We quickened our pace and made it  home.

It was quick and frightening reminder that this is a big and potentially dangerous city, even when only about 25% of the population is actually in the city.  We got lucky and will have to be more vigilant in the future.