The Trip: Vietnam #2

This comes from Phnom Phen, but here’s more photos from the way up here on the Mekong river. We stayed in a little border town for one night on the way, so it took a total of two days on a wooden slow boat.

What made me blog now is intellectual capital and the little value it seems to have in these countries. Sure, if you’re getting by with $40 a month, selling counterfeit t-shirts with a multi-billion corporation brand on them doesn’t feel like you’re doing too much harm. But, as hard as it is, it’s the principle that counts.

I’m working on launching a couple of, if not brands, at least branded commercial identities, so I’ve thought about this quite a bit lately. Arriving in Bangkok at first I was awed by the amount and quality of counterfeit goods sold practically everywhere. The actual department stores sell inferior brands since Polo, Nike, Burberry, D&G, et al. are covered by the stalls in the night market. I thought hell, why not stock up and send some home to the bro and sis while I’m at it – maybe one of those superficially faithful Patek Philippe copies wouldn’t look too bad on me. But I didn’t, and I won’t. I’ll wait until I can afford the real thing, thanks very much – if I really feel I need it then.

What really made up my mind were the “publishing houses” in Vietnam and here in Cambodia. There’s a row of copiers on one side, and bookshelves on the other side. None of the books are originals. In fact, a fellow traveller told me she tried to buy a book that had just come out, and they’d told her “no no, not for sale, for copy”. I would’ve possible hit that person on the mouth at that point. Seeing this in action finally underlined the bad vibe I’ve had about downloading music for free (though, yes, I’ve discovered tons of music I’ve paid for eventually). I have such immense respect for writers that I could only see this as a great wrongdoing. If I’ll ever write my book, get it published and find it in a Cambodia publishing house, I’ll burn the damn establishment down.