I will write a postcard to my friends and family in free verse

Having just reread Lonely Planet's review of Sapa, I'mbeginning to lose a bit of faith in it. I know guidebooks are not always the most accurate and I shouldtake the information inside with a grain of salt, butwhoever wrote the Sapa section is an idiot.In one sentence he/she says, "the Montagnards(mountain people)...are reaping the financial rewardsof the tourism influx." A few paragraphs later,"mostly they're very poor." So which is it?

I've had the good fortune of meeting and talking topeople from the two majority ethnic groups in theregion, the H'Mong and Dzao. All are very intelligent, and most of the ones my age have gone to school. Although the Montagnards learn their native language they also learn Vietnamese in school and use it as the common language. Most know english andfrench as well. I met a twenty seven year old woman who finished high school, rare for a mountain woman.

I fear for the heritage of these people becausetourism brings a lot of ugliness with it. Pollution aside, I hope the younger ones don't forget abouttheir traditions and customs to be a part of themodern world.

One Dzao girl I met is no longer wearing traditionalclothes, dressing in western fashion. Her friend whoI was talking to told me she wants to live outside ofthe village. I heard another jokingly say she didn'tcare if a westerner was nice or not as long as heagreed to marry her.

Today I spoke with Qui, the high school graduate. She was telling me she had a lot of "friends" who are willing to help her come to the US. They areVietnamese-Americans who may or may not have good intentions. Even if they do I warned her about how difficult life can be in the states, especially for someone who seems very innocent to me. What do I know about her innocence? She could beputting one over on me and using the same sob story onanyone willing to listen. Still, I feel like I wantto help her.

Travelling alone for eight months now I've learned tobe very wary of people, but something about being inViet Nam is dulling this abilty. I know it's because these are my people and I want to believe they are all kind and good, but they aren't.