I arrived very late last night (or very early this morning, depending on how you look at it) in The City Once Known as Saigon. Walking around today — a tourist in full, complete with a brand new tropical shirt and camera around the neck — I am immediately targeted by every street person. Here in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam no one begs, but many people try to sell you things at comically inflated prices. This includes, I’ve found, workers in money exchange booths. The first person who offered me a taxi ride at the airport wanted $400 for a $6 ride into town. Once you get used to the fact that you have to know what you’re doing, it’s a lovely place, with warm people, warm temperatures, and some great food. Food is what I’m here to find out about — specifically, how did a people and a place ravaged by decades of modern warfare (including the application of thousands of tons of chemical defoliants) manage in a very short time to become the rice bowl of Asia?