For generations Cholon, the rich, raucous city that exists side by side with Saigon, has been a state within a state. The home of half of South Viet Nam's 1,000,000 Chinese, and long administered by five semiautonomous Chinese "communities," Cholon was both the Wall Street and the Broadway of Viet Nam. At night its jampacked streets offered visitors a heady cocktail compounded of neon lights, savory smells and cabaret music.
Last week Cholon's streets were strangely subdued. Its shops, which once stayed open till the small hours of the morning, now closed at sunset, and in the Pavilion of Jade...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
