Smokin' it Up

So I have these really cool neighbors, who are also my landlords. The man is about 80, I'd say, and he was once a prisoner of the Viet Cong Army in the war because he helped the Americans build weapons, etc. Every day he sits outside with his friends, lights up some herb, and smokes it. I wasn't quite sure what it was. I knew it wasn't "Mary Jane," but it looked like some kind of tobacco. After doing some research, I found out it's called, ''thuốc lào''. Apparently, it's a pasttime of the older folk here in 'Nam, and my landlord lights it up several times a day. Good for him!