Massage sir?

At any given point in time, the bars and coffee shops and streets are filled to the brim with older Western men and their gorgeous, young Vietnamese “companions.” It seems that this country provides a playground for men in their fifties who find themselves smothered with lavish attention from the ladies.

I had heard this stereotype about Thailand and its problem with prostitution but the reality of it on the streets of Saigon are overwhelming. Some of my male classmates have complained of their inability to have a beer in peace without propositions of “massage” and companionship throughout the experience. One of the girls I study with is enormously offended by this custom and continues to point it out.

It seems that many of us have been culturally conditioned to be shocked by the idea of prostitution, but what is happening here makes one wonder whether the custom is paying for the very existence of the women here. Do these girls enjoy the lavish attention of these men or do they dread their days of constant exploitation? Are the men lonely expats who become enthralled by the beauty of the Asian woman? Or are they veterans returning to the “good life” of Saigon in the seventies? Whatever their reasons may be, it will take time to get used to the sight of countless old, white men with their pictures of pleasure on their arm.