-^-for posterity-^-

ms. ha canceled our afternoon language lesson so i had to do something. i looked over my map of the city and found the one major landmark that i hadn’t visited: the ben thanh market. oh, the allure of a foreign market. there are stories of eels swimming in cages, live frogs tied together at the legs and mounds and mounds of fresh coffee. i was excited to walk around aimlessly.

but, with most things in my life that are planned out, something went dreadfully wrong. the first sign that something wasn’t right was around ngyuen hue street. it’s a small, wide road located in the middle of the tourist district and, as i crossed over it, i noticed that police were blocking it off. they let me by. i thought that they might only be stopping motorcycles for some unknown reason. the road was empty and eerie.

i reached the next intersection. here there were two vietnamese soldiers with riot helmets on and large guns held firmly across their frames. the guns were about as long as their legs. their uniforms were olive green and the helmets made them look powerful. my stomach turned upon seeing these two. it was the first time that i had seen guns except for outside of the american embassy. what on earth was going on?

i kept walking because they didn’t seem to be stopping anyone. why did they have guns in the middle of the street? i walked more slowly and kept my head up. i noticed a large crowd ahead and saw some fire trucks. the crowd slowly swallowed me and i found myself sitting on a curb. i was about 100 yards from the next intersection which was blocked off. about 20 yards down the intersecting road was a large plume of coal-black smoke. the gawking crowd was not allowed on the street. we were told to sit on the sidewalk and wait.

slowly people started to leave the main area. it wasn’t that the fire was going out because the black plume of smoke kept rising and seemed to grow. my only guess would be that they were sick of breathing in noxious fumes. the wind would shift every few minutes and shower us with soot, ash and smoke.

the crowd thinned to a point where i could make it to the edge of the intersection. this crowd ebbed and flowed. people were constantly trying to find better views and one was gently nudged in the stomach, side and butt constantly. after the feeling of discomfort wears off, it’s kind of oddly comforting.

i had a wonderful vantage point and the fire was raging. i was probably 40 yards from it. flames were not licking up the sides of these buildings. they are made of stone and brick. large plumes of smoke would, however, billow out from the top of this small block. the block itself was small and triangular. the fire seemed to come from the center of it and it seemed as if four or five large buildings were engulfed. it was hot on the ground.

there were initially 7 fire trucks there. some seemed to carry only water and others seemed to be a combination of water tankers and pumps. they were large and tall and looked like they came from russia. the firefighters were running frantically in all directions. they wore a “uniform” which consisted of: pants that were either made into shorts or kept long. they had a white stripe around the ankles if they were not made into shorts. a jacket which was consistently too big and had a large white stripe across the chest but not across the arms. when the firefighters would run away from the fire their very large jackets and pants would be soaked with water and it made them look like children. a helmet which seemed to vary with the user. some people had old army helmets. green and metal. some people had firefighting helmets that were red and looked plastic. they made them look absurd. some wore white metal helmets and one man wore a baseball cap. shoes were whatever the firefighter chose to wear. some wore plastic boots which were not strapped. they would slip them onto their bare feet. i saw two firefighters emptying these boots out. they were filling with water. some wore tennis shoes and some were barefooted. i know, i know, they’re not competing in a fashion contest. they’re fighting a fire.

there were some other firefighters that were closer to the fire that seemed to be better equipped. they wore bright orange suits and appeared much more determined.

i assume they decided that they couldn’t fight this fire with the equipment they had on hand. they had two hoses running down the street and one had exploded under the pressure. it shot water everywhere. the other hose was being driven over constantly. out of the blue and much to the crowds amusement, four large army fire trucks barreled into our intersection. they were covered in camouflage and were very new. they had screens over all of the windows and wire nets protecting everything. water cannons were mounted from the roof. it looked as if they would more easily be used for dispersing an unruly crowd then fighting a fire.

the arrival of these machines also brought many army folks. they came in jeeps and all made a point of skidding to a halt. people rolled out and started crowd control. there were some policemen there with very large sticks. there were others there with riot helmets on. some were only there yelling things at everyone. as i said, i was standing closest to the fire and the crowd i was in was thick. thick and always shifting closer.

one man had enough. he was older and his pea green uniform had gotten wet. he yelled at some men and they rushed over. they all wore large helmets and carried large sticks. our crowd surged back a bit. this man was passionately trying to get the crowd to push back but people were resisting. finally, someone came with an electric tazer. now these make distinct noises and he swung it towards the crowd. ‘ta-ta-ta-ta’

the weight of the crowd pushed against me. everyone grabbed everyone and we were all one mass. there was a bicycle behind me that was digging into my calf. some people fell and they were picked up. we were all yelling. i had sandals on and almost couldn’t keep them on my feet as i shuffled backwards trying not to stumble. the ‘ta-ta-ta-ta’ of the tazer made everyone’s heart beat a little faster. i was on the verge of serious panic. because i was in the front of the crowd, i had a hard time getting to the back. the crowd surged and pushed. i was very nervous and couldn’t stop imagining the electricity pulsating through me. it took an eternity to eventually break away from the crowd.

the strangest thing was that people were all smiling. even when they were being pushed back. even when they fell and were honestly almost trampled. they smiled. it was an uneasy smile but it wasn’t fear. it was as if they were playing a game. it was like a child testing a parent. i can’t explain it. there was real danger there and the situation was tense. people were running everywhere. people fell. my leg was bleeding but still, they smiled. so strange.

i decided i would make my way to the market because, well, that is why i left my room. i headed in that direction. the fire still burned. i don’t know what exactly it was burning but it couldn’t be easily put out. i walked around the perimeter of the block. one block away on either side. all around police were edgy but i didn’t hear any more tazers or see any more guns. i found the market and walked through it. on the other side there was a small alleyway that directly showed the building that was burning. a crowd had gathered and i went to watch. the allure of the fire. i was under her spell.

all of the sudden the crowd broke into a run. hundreds of people were running down this alley way for, in my best judgment, no good reason. they were running towards the fire. the police took charge of the situation again. ‘ta-ta-ta-ta’ and the crowd fled in the other direction. the police cleared the alley once again. a man with a bull horn and a tazer was walking around yelling at people. people would walk near him with smirks on their faces. it’s as if they knew he wouldn’t shock them. they were defiant yet pretended to be innocent. they were smiling when they ran away. children testing their parents. honestly, that’s my best comparison.

when the crowd ran back the last time i ended up being in the way again. two run-ins with running crowds in one day easily fills my quota.

at the beginning, when i was sitting on the curb watching the smoke billow up to the sky, i felt like i was waiting for a parade. the road was clear and everyone around me bubbled with excitement. when i was in the crowd i watched the fire with zeal. people around me were riveted too. the police and the firefighters all had a wonderful time being hero’s and wielding power. in the end, a disaster that doesn’t hurt anyone is a wonderful experience.