Across Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh city, at a street corner, a little boy about seven or eight years old was lying on a spread out carton box material reading a comic book. With him was an old woman slicing mushrooms. At the feet of the boy was a dog dressed in red.
It was about seven o’clock in the evening. The light from a corner street lamp gave them illumination.
This was on the second day of 2019 and the city, still called “Saigon “by many, teemed with foreign tourists.
I asked permission to take their picture. The old woman responded with a kind smile and a nod. I approached and greeted the boy and he smiled so sweetly.