THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 63 USAID Administrator Samantha Power rides an electric motorbike in Hanoi, March 10, 2023. The entire spectacle reminds me of the central tenet of improvisational theater: Always accept what has gone before and build on it. Scootering around Saigon teaches you to embrace the unexpected and thrive amid chaos, a valuable life skill. There are different ways to know what’s coming. In the relatively few intersections where traffic lights are operational and respected, scooters quickly build up behind the red light. Jostling to get ahead, scooters soon fill the road space in front of the light as well, beyond where the traffic light is visible. You would have thought that these drivers would be at a disadvantage, not knowing when the light behind them turns green. But there’s more than one way to know when to proceed. These forward-leaning riders, for example, unable to see the green light behind them, are listening for the rev of engines instead. When enough engines rev, they can safely assume that light must have changed. You don’t have to have seen the light to know that it has changed. Watching this dance reminds me of the role of a diplomat overseas. You can read the news and digest the headlines, no matter where you are in the world. But to truly understand a place as nuanced and multifaceted as Vietnam, the only way to fully succeed is to be here, on the ground, using all your senses. Proceed with caution, but proceed. On a scooter in Saigon, it is rare to have open road in front of you. There is almost always something alarming unfolding ahead. A sensible approach would be to slow down, perhaps even stop, until you can see a safe way through. Wise riders, however, continue toward the obstacle—safely, for sure, but resolutely. Nearly always, as you approach the obstruction ahead, conditions will have shifted by the time you arrive, allowing you to safely pass. You may not take the path you originally intended, and you may have to get creative in your approach. But pass you can. This got me thinking about uncertainty and opportunity— two omnipresent truths of our lives overseas as FSOs. Who knew that scooters in Saigon could be such eloquent instructors of this critical diplomatic lesson? My experience has convinced me that a good deal of what you need to know about life, you can learn while navigating Saigon’s scooter traffic. n Crossing the river at night in Ho Chi Minh City, 2024. USAID VIETNAM HANNAH HARRIS
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