Have Car, Cell Phone, Skyscrapers, Will Marry

The NYT reports that South Korean men are going to Vietnam and other Asian countries in search of a suitable bride. It seems that South Korean women are more eductated and, with more options, aren't marrying their Korean counterparts. The shortage has sent the men looking elsewhere.

When I was little, my dad had a friend who had a really hard time finding a wife. He was oldish, balding, thrifty. He lived in California, but couldn't find anyone. So he would go on trips to Vietnam, Australia, Hong Kong. Later I learned that the purpose of all these trips was to find a young, Vietnamese woman who would come to America in exchange for being his wife.