Chapters 20-23 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 20, "Fullcircle-Halflives," the author returned to his current trip, expressing a desire to get away from Vung Tao and Kim. His next destination was Minh Luong Prison, where his father had been held. He took several public vehicles to the village of Rach Gia. On the way, two toughs boarded the bus and bullied everyone into buying a cure-all potion. Andrew refused to pay, but just when the situation got dangerous, the woman who owned the bus paid for him, and the toughs disembarked. They stopped for a long lunch, to the dismay of the passengers, and then endured a search by police looking for contraband, who took away cartons of cigarettes as a bribe. Andrew spent the night in Rach Gia, and then hired a motorcyclist to take him to the prison. When they got there, it...