A historian/anthropologist considers and compares the mobility and life of Vietnam and India intellectuals in their post-colonial lives. Case material from Vietnam fieldwork since 2000 and her own considerable experience in India underpin the author's discussion of the social transformation in both countries. 'Socialist modernism', consumer society values, post-socialist reformism are all seen to be active, and often in contrary juxtapositions. With sketch maps, black-and-white photographs, bibliography and index.