"... a pipe of opium, with the touch of a girl who might tell you she loves you. And then something happens, as you knew it would, and nothing can ever be the same again."

While the war, and the opium dens, are a long way from today's reality, Vietnam, and South East Asia generally, still has the power to captivate those open to its magic and mystique. As it has captivated me.

And if you haven't seen The Quiet American yet, you must.