(PICTURE: CSCD at night.)
I wrote a long time ago about the secret police in Vietnam who generally only come out at night. This branch of the military is called the CSCD. To me they're really freaking scary because they're very hard to see since they wear nearly all black uniforms. I guess if you want to be super-secretive-ninja-like you need to blend in with the darkness. However, there's one drawback of people not being able to see you at night -- it's that PEOPLE CAN'T SEE YOU AT NIGHT!
The other night Huyen and I were driving home from her sister's and I caught a flash of two CSCD officers on the main street near our house. Well, the next day there was a big local news story that two CSCD officers were run over and killed by a car right near our house on that main street. I'm not 100% sure it was the same guys I saw but logically they probably were. The two officers were hit by a guy who was driving home after karaoke. I would 100% bet that this guy was drinking and driving which is sadly the norm here...which is even more of a reason for the CSCD to wear brighter uniforms if they're gonna step out into the street at night to pull over cars.
I'm not trying to be funny here because their deaths were tragic. The point is though that these guys need to strike a balance between being stealth and being visible. Like if your mission that night is to double as a traffic cop, put on a fluorescent yellow uniform. If you're just busting drug dealers, then wear all black. Frankly, I'm surprised more CSCD don't get hit by speeding cars or motorbikes all the time.
