Monsoon by Di Morrissey

porcelain that was found in the South China Sea somewhere a few years back. Fetched a good price at Christie’s,’ said Tom.
    â€˜Hung had a visitor late last night. Someone paddled over from the village with a huge bamboo crate,’ said Anna.
    â€˜Probably dried fish, or local hootch,’ said Tom.
    â€˜You’re the journalist. This could be a story, Tom,’ said Anna.
    â€˜That nun is a story. What an incredible old bird,’ he said. ‘She’s even got a vegetable garden going round the back.’
    Kim was waiting at the wharf when the Harvest Moon returned the next morning, and Sandy introduced him to Tom before Sandy, Anna and Tom effusively thanked Captain Chinh and Hung for the trip.
    â€˜Can we give Tom a lift back to Hanoi, Kim? Better than the bus he came down on,’ said Sandy.
    â€˜Of course, plenty of room,’ agreed Kim, taking Tom’s backpack and stowing it in the boot.
    â€˜We’re going back via Hai Phong,’ Kim told them. ‘It’s where the fish project is that HOPE is involved with. I have to check on how things are running.’
    â€˜Is there anything else there?’ asked Anna.
    â€˜It’s a big sea port, very industrial, but the city has some lovely colonial architecture – it’s like Hanoi used to be. Still a little sleepy and great seafood.’
    By the time they had taken in the sights of Hai Phong, they decided to stay for lunch and found a shady courtyard restaurant specialising in local seafood. Sandy began asking Kim about his hiking trip and what wildlife he’d seen in the national park.
    Tom turned to Anna. ‘So, Anna, what’s your story? What do you think of Vietnam?’

3

    T HEY WERE THE ONLY people left in the shady courtyard of the little restaurant. The owner settled himself at a table inside to eat his lunch. The clatter of dishes and chatter drifted from the kitchen. The jangle of bicycle bells and car horns in the street seemed far away in the somnolence of the early afternoon.
    Tom stretched. ‘If anything the food in Vietnam is even better than I remember. Simple rural cuisine but served with sophistication.’
    â€˜Yeah, well, it’s not that “simple”. Some of it takes hours, even days to prepare,’ said Sandy.
    â€˜This is a nice little place, more for westerners, but I wouldn’t call it sophisticated compared to some places in Hanoi,’ said Kim. ‘Not that I can afford to eat at the Metropole or some of the other tourist restaurants.’
    â€˜I haven’t had any desire to eat upmarket. I’ve only been in Hanoi a week, and I’m bowled over by what a lovely city it is,’ said Tom. ‘When I was in the south all those years ago Hanoi was far away and a closed city inhabited by communists and the North Vietnamese regular army. I imagined a grim, regimented place shattered by the war. But the city is charming.’
    â€˜It might have had a lot of masters from the Chinese to the French but they’ve left interesting and beautiful buildings. Unfortunately the ugly cement jobs that are around are souvenirs of the Soviet alliance,’ said Sandy.
    â€˜I like the energy: everyone is active and there are so many young people,’ said Anna.
    â€˜The majority of the population are under thirty-five,’ said Kim. ‘Baby boomers don’t rule here!’
    â€˜Talking about young entrepreneurs, are you going to check out your fish farm people?’ Sandy asked Kim.
    â€˜Yes, would you like to come along? The project is the first of several like this for HOPE. The co-op is planning to move up to freezing and exporting fish and shrimp.’
    â€˜We won’t be long: it’s near the harbour. Or you could stay here, have some dessert, coffee, a cold drink,’ Sandy suggested to Anna and Tom.
    â€˜That sounds good to me,’ said Tom.
    â€˜I’ll keep you company, Tom,’ said Anna. The fish