
We were in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). But I love calling it Saigon. There’s something round and deep about “Saigon”—it sounds like a prediction from the mouth of a Buddhist oracle, like something beautiful is about to happen. _Saigon…_

My wife, Smitha, our daughter, Nava, and I had just finished dinner with our wonderful Vietnamese friends, Ho Mai Tram and Linh. Nava had fallen asleep on my lap. I lifted her gently, holding her tightly around her waist, her head nestled on my shoulder, undisturbed. As we were walking toward the exit, I caught the gaze of an elderly Englishman seated at another table.

_“I can see that she’s very attached to you,”_ he said.

I held Nava and turned toward him, unable to suppress a smile. His eyes held a soulfulness, a sense of longing.

_“Before you know it, she’ll be walking down the aisle with someone else. Make sure you spend as much time with her as you can.”_

He had no reason to say that to me. But he did. _Mankind will continue._

I think I mumbled something like, _“Sure.”_

As we walked out into the warm Saigon night, I found myself thinking that I had all the time in the world.

That night was in 2013.


We were in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). But I love calling it Saigon. There’s something round and deep about “Saigon”—it sounds like a prediction from the mouth of a Buddhist oracle, like something beautiful is about to happen. Saigon…
My wife, Smitha, our daughter, Nava, and I had just finished dinner with our wonderful Vietnamese friends, Ho Mai Tram and Linh. Nava had fallen asleep on my lap. I lifted her gently, holding her tightly around her waist, her head nestled on my shoulder, undisturbed. As we were walking toward the exit, I caught the gaze of an elderly Englishman seated at another table.
“I can see that she’s very attached to you,” he said.
I held Nava and turned toward him, unable to suppress a smile. His eyes held a soulfulness, a sense of longing.
“Before you know it, she’ll be walking down the aisle with someone else. Make sure you spend as much time with her as you can.”
He had no reason to say that to me. But he did. Mankind will continue.
I think I mumbled something like, “Sure.”
As we walked out into the warm Saigon night, I found myself thinking that I had all the time in the world.
That night was in 2013.

The Englishman In Saigon