Hi, Oatmeal. Yes, Cambodia is a lovely country and 'my' corner of it is Kampot, an historic town and very conducive to writing. I spent 30 years in the Philippines, started a couple of novels but somehow they didn't gel. When I came to Kampot a story came together. The place reminded me of the Alpes Maritime, where I spent a lot of time, hence the French detective, and the French influence remains which makes for another intriguing bit of the environment. I haven't yet been to Vietnam so I don't know if the French influence remains there.