But, that's what I'm here for. My last night in HCMC before hitting the road was spent on the road, actually. Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theater. Cai Luong has been described to me as renovated theater, modern theater and southern opera. It's sort of like a musical.
People talk and then they break into song.
Minh Ngoc's 'students' are almost all older than me. We arrive like minor rock stars, thanks to the name emblazoned on the side of the bus. The stage, lights and sound system are already set up in the middle of a big field. Kids are sneaking past a thin rope to watch the performers prepare, while the rural audience roars in on their Hondas. The audience is a squirming mass of women and children with men standing on the fringes.