Leaving wonderful Vietnam soon

I am winding down my time in Vietnam, visiting the usual places I go to, and trying to say goodbye to people who don't understand anything I say, including hello and goodbye. My plan is to return, but you know how plans are. Doctors and others will determine what happens next. Who knows? Who cares?
I want to single out some extra wonderful people I've met here. If I spell the names wrong, I don't care. My name gets messed up all the time, too. Here are the folk who were special to me.
-- All the students. Even the unruly ones and the ones who hated Mr. John. They made my time in Vietnam wonderful and occasionally challenging. I loved it.These guys are the future, and I'm happy about that. Some of them even learned a little English along the way. Maybe. And remember, students: Ladies first.
-- Win (Nguyen), Chin (Chinh) and the other nice staffers at VMG. They have been helpful throughout, even with my whining and complaining.
--Mr. Tu, the security guard. He watched my bike, and slept next to me after my accident. And he bummed countless cigarettes from me, which reduced my smoking. He's a quality man. Really. (And there's also Joy, who calls me Sunshine, and is really a great teacher and mentor.)
.-- Phuong Duc, the HSBC lady who keeps my money right. She's very pleasant and helpful.
-- The lady who runs the coffee shop next to VMG. Her prices are great. She accepts my tip with a smile (and deserves it) and she says THANK YOU (in Vietnamese, of course, but it's still thank you). And I've never seen her pick her nose.
-- The staff at the Khanh Dang hotel. Great folk. A rat, yes, a rat, ran across my foot at my old apartment/hot box (my fault because the front door was open due to the oppressive heat). That would never happen at the Khanh Dang (I hope). I am told that rats are pretty common, sometimes, and like to visit Americans.
-- The girls who massage my head. They're nice and they do a good job. My brainless head feels fine, especially after the massage.
-- The ladies at the little stand where I get greasy chicken and fish squares. All deep-fried, of course.
-- All the strangers who were nice to me (of course, I like them).  And the nice people at ABC bakery, where I would get a taste of home once a week.
-- If I forgot you, it's because I'm brainless, but I still want to say thanks to you and everyone.

Now for the good stuff -- the things I won't miss when I return to the United States.
-- The really quick way people say NO. Some people will say NO before you finish your request. People say no and what I want is right behind them, three feet away. The double hand-shaking by the head to say NO can be rough at first for the foreigner, who doesn't always understand it.
-- The SARS masks. It's a personal thing. I just don't like them, although they do serve a purpose. I saw a woman wearing a SARS mask inside her car with the windows rolled up.
-- Fish oil. It's everywhere and served with everything, even meat and chicken and eggs. And it smells like ... fish.
-- The beef and lack of quality sharp cheese. On the plus side, the lack of these items keeps your weight down.
-- The heat and humidity. But that's not anybody's fault. It's just geography.
-- Cell phones and talking in the movie theaters. (Wait, that happens in the U.S. all the time). 

See, that wasn't too bad. The time here has been well-spent, even with the little -- and expensive -- motorbike mishap. It turns out my skull wasn't fractured (a look at the records show), but I did have some internal bleeding. At least I think that's the case. Who knows? Who cares? I've come to understand the motorbike and how traffic works here, so that's neither good nor bad. It's just how it is.
The people here are honest and direct and very good-hearted. Those are three qualities I admire in any culture.