Have had a disturbing incident this morning that almost got out of hand. The electricity in my apartment was cut so, being uncomfortably hot, my wife and I went out for coffee to get some air and found a relatively clean cafe.
Sitting by the roadside it was all quite pleasant until a taxi pulled up. The passenger got out and then the driver followed. Right in front of us, less than 3m away, he urinated against a tree.
Now I have to say that having been here for many years I always try to ignore the various aspects of what I consider to be unacceptable behaviour purely because it is their country after all and I choose to live here so in general I have no right to be offended by their actions. Urinating in the street is after all a common occurrence. However, perhaps rather stupidly, on this occasion given his close proximity to my wife I confronted him. A brief argument later I had him by his throat over the hood of his car. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, two passing traffic police intervened before I could rearrange his dental configuration. More arguments and general chaos followed as bystanders become involved and the general consensus was about 60/40 in the cab drivers favour. There were no other non Vietnamese present.
After things calmed down I was led off to a nearby tree and following a more rational discussion, examination of my visa etc etc and $50US 'on the spot' fine my wife and I returned to the apartment.
I guess I did something stupid and should have known better but whilst I enjoy being in Vietnam there are times when however tolerant I try to be it can get a little stressful here.