The hard-working ladies in the rice paper factory in the Mekong delta, Vietnam, were used to visitors and paid no attention whatsoever to the tourists staring at them.

While it was certainly very interesting to see how rice paper is produced, I still got a little impatient so I quietly left the group and started looking around the rather small premises on my own.

It paid off immediately: I spotted a small boy in a bright red t-shirt with a giraffe on it running around on bare feet. An older boy called out to him and caught his attention (and mine). He was blowing glittery soap bubbles! It was magic for the little one. And for me.

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By the way, fresh rice paper feels like rubber.