Bargaining Games

As I'm a man from the south with a southern accent, I have to bargain for most things I want to buy. I think it's a kind of game and I need to be part of that and play the game with the sellers to the best of my ability, if I don't want to get ripped off. I usually start at 50% of the quoted price with the florists near my place. The process is actually quite predictable and normally includes funny stories about how high the price was that they had to pay. After a while, they normally agree to sell for around 60% of their original price.

With ceramic sellers, I usually choose some bowls, plates or vases then ask the total bill. I paid 7,000Vnd for a very nice plate compared to my friends who paid 45,000vnd in the shop. They look exactly the same, no mistake. But when you buy ceremic stuff from street vendors, you need to check each item carefully for flaws which they sometimes try to cover with stamps. Don't worry about taking those stamps off before you pay to check that there is no chip or mark. I normally pay about 45% of the first price when dealing with the pottery sellers.

Going to market is even more challenging for me. Most Vietnamese bargain for every single vegetable. I only bargain for veggies if I'm dealing with a vendor for the first time and I generally stand behind another customer to see what the situation is like. After that I will go back to the same vendor as she knows me. I got terribly ripped off by a chicken seller at my local market, paying 50% more than the normal price. I almost went back to shout at her but she's a damn hard woman and I think I better take it as a lesson and never go to her shop again. One thing that I'm always careful about now is watching what the vendor chooses for me...this is really important. Sometimes, after they agree on a cheap price, they pay you back by giving you the bad produce.

It can be a fun way of shopping in Hanoi and Viet Nam. But I think it's important to remember that "you get what you pay for."

Going Bowling

My friends invited me to join in a ten-pin bowling day yesterday at Star Bowl. It was great fun with many stupid uncordinated bowls thrwon by me down the gutters at the side. I was a bit drunk after a few beers and unfortunately my bowling skills didn't improve!

I thought I was destined to be last! We had a few laughs, especially when the ball didn't exactly roll but instead bounced along the lane. I was hopeless today, I swear! Sometimes you see some funny sights. There was an older man playing next to our lane and he seemed very professional and he has his own shoes and gloves and ball. He played really badly but he had a bit of a bad attitude so I accidentally on purpose took his ball and bowled it down the alley just for a laugh. I couldn't help it!

We only paid 110,oooVnd each for 2 games and the shoe hire. If you forget your socks, they'll sell you a pair for 5000VND. The last time we played, if you forgot your socks, you had to hire a pair which had been worn (and not washed)... so that's an improvement!

Good fun! A good day had by all!

Hanoi City Complex, A 65 Storey Building

Hanoi will have Vietnam's tallest building ever with 65 floors comprising offices, apartments, a shopping centre, supermarket, cinema, health care centre and car park. The complex is expected to be located at the corner of Lieu Giai and Dao Tan streets in Ba Dinh district in Hanoi. It will cover an area of 14,094 sq m, and will be 195 m high. The total investment capital is US$114 million and it will be finished after 3 years meaning it will be in use before 2010 to celebrate Hanoi's 1000 years anniversary. Is it a good idea?

Angelina Jolie Adoption

Finally, Angelina Jolie adopted another baby and this time it's a Vietnamese boy. His name's Pham Quang Sáng but she has changed it to Pax Thiên Jolie. Following the magazine translations of his new name,"Pax" means "Peace" and "Thien" means "Heaven". Vietnamese staff at the Tam Bình center said in the press that Jolie's a very nice lady who loves children and knows how to deal with them. They are really happy for Pax Thien Jolie and hopefully he will have a better life full of luck and happiness.

The latest news is that Pax Thien Jolie's real mother is a heroin addict and she didn't sign anything on the paper yet. Apparently, all the signatures on the paper are from her parents. Her father said in the press that she's a nut and he's afraid that if she realized that her son had been adopted by a really famous actress then she may try to find some way to get money or try to get him back. I don't think she can do anything because they all signed a paper and it has been approved by the government. All the best for Pax Thien Jolie, a better life and be a good person.

Useful Or Worthless

On my trip back to Nha Trang for Tet, my most disappointing moment was when I saw the cable car which connects Vinpearl Resort and Nha Trang City. I wonder why the local government allowed this project. It's also created big trouble for tourism now which is the main income for the city because the cable is not high enough for those 5 star cruiseships to dock in the port. Nha Trang port is an international port which, along with tourism, provides loads of jobs for locals but it seems that these jobs might be lost.

It's difficult to compare 100,000 dong per person for a return trip from Nha Trang City to Vinpearl resort to the value of showing thousands of people from all over the world who travelled thousands of kms with star cruises to Viet Nam and willing to visit Nha Trang Bay. I am not talking about the money. I want to mention that Viet Nam now opens their doors to let people from over the world see how beautiful and friendly Vietnamese are. So, that cable car actually stops people who really want to see Nha Trang as it really is, how friendly people are and how great Nha Trang food is. I wonder why? I wonder where the cable car fees go?

I think they are ruining Nha Trang Bay which is one of the 29 best bays in the world, voted by World Heritage in 2003 and Nha Trang people are so proud of that. Nha Trang have tried so hard to make it beautiful and clean with a good atmosphere and maintain nature and beauty for those of us who love traveling, love to sit on white sandy beach and eat great fresh seafood and talk to nice friendly people. A lot of regular visitors to Nha Trang are very sad and upset about the appearance of the cable car which has ruined the whole bay's view. There are some local people who think that this new thing is modern, looks cool but this is just a really small percentage and I don't agree with them. Sorry!!! I wonder if the world heritage knows about this, about the ugliest and longest cable car. Please, please remove this ugly thing and give back Nha Trang as it used to be.

Where's The Beauty Of The Old Quarter

When talking about Hanoi, people mention the beauty of the 36 classic streets with 1000 years of history. Located between Returned Sword Lake and Long Bien Bridge, these streets start with the word Hang, which means merchandise or shop, and its named for a product or service. No matter how tall and skinny a building is in the old quarter, it seems that there is always room for one more storey. This is real Viet Nam can't be seen anywhere else in the world.

Nowadays, people use its beauty and history to do business. You can hardly walk on the pavement because people are using it for their own business and motorbike parking on the street which is not very good or safe for visitors. Street police wander around shouting loudly to whoever leaves their motorbike in the wrong place. All these things can make Hanoi difficult to live in at times.

There are big markets in Hanoi but also there are thousands of people from the countryside also doing their own business by putting their stuff on bicycles or walking with stuff on their shoulders or even on their heads. The police try to stop this kind of trading constantly but it still happens and looks like it will never stop. But actually, this is the only way they can earn some money for themselves and send it home to help their family. It's also fun to watch sometimes, but sometimes, it's annoying because they keep asking tourists to buy from them or take photos then by some fruit from them which is not really nice.

Any corner can be a small market where a few people sit next to each other, selling few flowers, pets or even just some candies. Where are all the traditional streets which sell their own products? There are not many of them still around such as Hang Ma streets or Lan Ong street where you can smell the Chinese medicine. Why don't Vietnamese try to preserve the beauty of our great traditions and history?

The Exterminators

Arrived home after two weeks of sunshine and fresh air in Nha Trang. I feel great being back home but I realized that there were too many mosquitoes around my house and they have bitten me many times around my body. So I decided to call the extermination company. Today, they sent one man to spray my house. The smell was unpleasant but it's effective enough to leave many mosquitoes dying on the floor and now I can sit in the living room posting this without shaking my legs anymore :)

The guy was so brave (or silly?)that he didn't wear anything to cover his face even though I offered him a mask which he refused. I don't know how he is going to be after 10 years working in these conditions? I also don't think he gets health insurance or anything from his company to protect his health? I think I should call and ask the company tomorrow. I will think about it. But I am sure they will tell me that they give him all the safety wear but he may have forgotten them.

I was surprised that he came in with only a pump and two bottles, I thought they would have sent at least three people to do the job. Anyway, it took him 40 minutes to finished our four floor house and I only paid 200,000Vnd. If you live in Hanoi, call his company. The number is on the back of his shirt in the photo at the top.

Sex Via Internet

The Internet is a very popular and useful tool which is needed in this modern life. Lots of people use the internet at home or at internet cafes. Lots of Vietnamese people can now afford laptops and sometimes they bring their own laptops to cafes to use instead of using the public computers. Besides the positive benefits that can be seen daily, people reading the lastest news, paying their bills and so on, there are problems too. It may not be new for western countries but sex on the internet is getting popular in big cities in Viet Nam.

Some young girls who are lazy or have problems with their families, study or reationships spend a lot of time selling themselves on the internet. After days stuck at internet cafes without any money plus big bills, they advertise to try to find some guys who can afford to pay them. Young men get online to chat with them, attracted by their very sexy and welcoming nicknames. They show their faces and other parts on webcam, and then exchange their internet cafe's addresses. After paying their internet bills and taking them out for drink and a meal, the night ends in a hotel with free sex. Some of these girls are from very rich families but like to play, but only with young handsome and rich boys. Of course, most families have no idea about this behaviour and think their children are perfect.

Besides the hundreds of girls who have this kind of trouble with money, there are lots of cheating groups with very young and beautiful girls and boys about 16 to 22 years old, who operate various scams that sometimes end in violence.

Also, the percentage of prostitutes who use the internet to operate their 'business' is very high. They have ads with their mobile numbers. Anyway, what can be done to stop this kind of really bad crime which is affecting our next generation?

Buses In Viet Nam

Buses are one of the most common forms of transportation in Viet Nam. In cities like Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City the traffic situation is crazy everyday, with not only buses but also lots of cars and millions of motorbikes. I remembered I caught a bus once a few years ago after a long trip from Bai Tu Long Bay. I took a bus home and it was really uncomfotable, smelly and full of people. But it has changed so much in that short time, especially the city buses in Hanoi.

With thousands of people travelling by bus daily, bus companies are spending lots of money for new buses but it's still not enough. The buses are commonly over-crowded, with about 50 people in a 30 seat bus, which is not right and could be dangerous. For only 5000Vnd, you can go from one side of the city to another, even from the city center to the airport which is really good. Because of the cheapness and convenience, so many people use this service. The new buses are clean and nice but the service from the drivers and the staff are not really nice due to the work conditions. They have to work from 14 hours to 16 hours a day without heath insurance, full of stress about being on time, and crazy traffic always around them on the roads. All these stresses add up to make these drivers and the staff get angry easily and this can lead to accidents.

In Hanoi, all of the disabled get free bus trips all over the city, which is really good news for those who want to travel by bus instead of motorbike taxi or walk. Travel by bus is also risky not only because of the way they drive, but because there some thieves waiting for your unsuspecting moment, your wallets, mobile phones, money or whatever they think they can exchange for cash.

Then and Now Part II

Pay day! Oh my gosh! I remember my father always gave most of his salary to my mother which was then deposited in the bank to get some profit and to be safe. My mother was in charge of everything in the house as well as her work at the rice company. My father was a hotel manager who took care of the accommodation for high class government officials.

I remember we had some chickens, ducks and pigs at home. I had to help my brother and sisters to cook the food for the pigs and give them a bath and sometimes had to take pig shit to my neighbors, and dig it into the land. Not the best household job! In those days, most families had pigs or chickens or ducks around their houses, but the most popular were pigs and chickens. We used to eat the chicken eggs and sell them to get money or exchange them for some other food.

"The system of distributing subsidised food produce affected people who did not work in agricultural section from the wartime until 1989. The system's rice stores were perhaps its most essentail components; people's lives were directly dependant on them". This was very true and my family were lucky because my mother was a rice shop manager so we had better options to choose our own rice and we didn't have to queue that much.

Some people weren't as lucky as us. As Mr Ngo Duc Thinh, aged 63, prof.Ph.D, room 912, A6 Giang Vo Street, said "After taking the rice home I would open the sack immediately: if the rice wasn't smelly I would feel happy the whole day."

"His face is as sad as if he had lost his rice book!"(an idiom in subsidy period).

Tobe continued.

Now and Then Part III

"Buying and selling coupons illegally was common. People even bought and sold train and bus tickets etc. If you queued and couldn't get the ticket or you didn't want to queue, you could buy a"black market" ticket. The real price of a ticket was 5 hao(10 hao equivalent 1Vnd), you had to pay 7 hao. Illegally traders made a connection with the government clerks who sold the tickets," said by Mr Le Gia Thuy, aged 65, sub alley 12/21, alley 12 Luong Khanh Thien street Ha Noi.

This man's story reminds me of the time when I had to go to buy two train tickets for my relative with my sister. We had to queue for most of the morning at the station but we couldn't get the tickets so we were forced to get 2 tickets from "black market" traders. We pay 3 hao (about 50,000VND/US$3.20 in today's money, I guess) more than the official price but we decided to do that in future to save time.

Now And Then Part I

I went to the Viet Nam museum of ethnology last weekend and was really surprised about the information that they give to visitors, even though I'd heard about this place heaps before. This place reminds me lots about our life after the American War, about how difficult life was and how the majority of people were needy but people were still happy that peace had finally arrived.

Here are some extracts from the musuem brochure about that time:

"The period of the "Subsidy Economy, 1975- 1986" has been known as a time of hardships, when mechanism for socio-economic management was inappropriate, causing privations in people's material and spiritual life. Material life was poor due to a sluggish and inefficient production system, but the constraints also applied to people's creative and spiritual endeavors."

"Almost all commodities were distributed to people through a system of state and cooperatives. Distribution of goods was dependent on the rank of the citizen and distributed by the using coupons or food stuff books. High ranking officals were served at special shops,whereas a number of other stores in the city were for common people".

"Food was bought with coupons that had a lot of small spuares. Sometimes, in order to buy green vegetables or even to buy some oranges in the summer, you needed to cut the different squares on the coupons" said by Mrs Le Thi Hien, aged 69, former head of the Dong Xuan vegetable and fruit shop,85 Hang Buom street, Hanoi.

Yes, this is so right, I remember my family had to go to the shop very early sometimes to put a brick or stand there for hours just to buy some veggies or some meat. But luckily, at that time I was only about 6 or 7 years old and people saw me as a tiny kid and they always let me buy my stuff first. One day, on the way I lost my coupon which had just 3 squares left. I was really nervous and expected a big slap on my bum from my Mum when I got home. But my mother didn't do that. She told me have to be more careful next time.

My parents both worked for the government as managers so, while our life was still difficult, it was worse for other families.

To be continued

KFC Arrived In Hanoi

I can't believe the government has accepted KFC in Viet Nam, first in Ho Chi Minh city a few years ago and now in Ha Noi.

It seems that Vietnamese people love this kind of fast food. However, lots of my friends have told me that this is not special at all and quite expensive but kids are loving it. I dont understand why adult people also eat it alot. I tried it once in Saigon in the last few years, another time on the way to Anglesea in Australia and I hated it.

To compare the income of the average Vietnamese and the price of KFC in Viet Nam, you can see that not many people can afford this kind of fast food. There are a few Vietnamese fast food restaurants in Hanoi such as 123 or ABC and so many small fast food restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City which are quite sucessful with some dishes similar to those at KFC. I wonder why people like to eat fast food when they have so many options to choose from on the street in Vietnam, as well as some good Thai food, Indian food, for a more reasonable price. We can easily understand why kids love to try these foods but parents should say something to them and they don't. In the evening most days, especially on the weekend, these places are packed and hard to get a seat. Why is that?

Rules

Stop at a red light? That's a big question in Viet Nam where a very high percentage of people don't follow this basic rule. This is scarey for whoever comes to Viet Nam for the first time.

Motorbikes are the popular form of transportation in Viet Nam and you can see different motorbikes with different colors. From $800, you can own a brand new Chinese motorbike with Japanese branding, such as a Honda Dream, Lifan etc. The quality is not bad but if you need a fancy look then you have to spend about $2000 for a Japanese or Korean bike.

Vietnamese love to follow the fashion and they change their bike very often even though it costs a few thousand dollars such a change. Do not be surprised when you see most young people riding around Hanoi on the most expensive and updated bike even though they sometimes have no money in their pocket or have just enough to pay for the petrol.

Is there a Driving license or age limit law in Vietnam? There is but it is not a big deal in Viet Nam as so many boys and girls drive motorbikes which are over 100cc under the age of 16 and the police don't really care much about that unless they drive fast or carry 3 or 4 friends on the back. Knowledge is limited about traffic rules and some people seem to not really care about their lives or those of others. That's why there are many accidents happening everyday.

Plastic Surgery

Looking at this man doing his service reminds me about 15 years ago when I got my first ID card. I had to go to a special shop to have the card laminated.

The people who made my ID cover used a Coal Iron which was also used for ironing clothes. It seems weird now but it was the only thing that could be used at time.

Nowadays, people use an electric laminating machine to do this business and, of course, the price has increased. The other day, I paid 5000Vnd to have my drivers licence laminated by machine while I think I paid 500Vnd for the same thing 15 years ago.

Hoang and Minh, the men doing this business told me that they have to walk around the city, about 40 kms a day, from the morning until 8pm or 9 Pm and this earns them about 50,000Vnd. This actually isn't a bad income but considering the time and the distance that they have to walk throughout the day, it seems hard work. What do you think about this business? Is there any similar business like this in your country?

Public Kissing

The title seems very sensitive even silly. Yes, I agree but I like it.

In Viet Nam, it's quite common for people of the same sex to walk along the street hand in hand or linking arms. Maybe people from other cultures will find this a little strange, but it's normal for men and women to show physical affection. Kissing in public is a different story. About 10 years ago, Vietnamese people considered kissing as something very sacred and private which should be done in a very dark place or inside their house and not in front of anyone.

Nowadays, it's common to see young people kissing in public, along the street, in the park or even in the middle of the market. While this might be normal in western society, it's quite new behavior in Viet Nam.

What do you think? Is it similar where you come from?

Speakers In Viet Nam

This is one of the special goverment helpers which repeats announcements time after time without tiring.

It usually starts early in the morning for an hour, and is sometimes repeated in the afternoon and evening. But in the evening, they usually have a special story with a great warm voice. It's helful in some ways but it is very annoying because sometimes it's on too early in the weekend when you need time to relax or for a long sleep after the working week

Mobile Phone in Viet Nam

Mobile phones are useful for both daily life and business and they connect people from here, there and everywhere. They can also be a waste as lots of people use them as a toy to annoy other people by making missed calls or sending loads of messages.

Like many other Asian countries, Viet Nam is a developing country but Vietnamese people love to follow the fashion and the mobile phone is one example. Students, old ladies, even xich lo drivers and xe om(motorbike taxi)drivers have mobile phones, using them everywhere when they are driving or when drinking and eating. It's so annoying when people play with their ring tones or speak really so loudly that their friends could probably hear them across town without the phone!

Some Vietnamese are so fashion-conscious that they make fun of people who use an old or cheap phone. It doesn't really matter as long as the phone does the job, right?

There are thousands of mobile phone shops in Viet Nam and these shops are increasing daily like mushrooms appearing after the rain. Mobile phones aren't cheap at all but that doesn't stop young people from buying phones with the latest features like cameras or MP3s. The latest mobiles range from $300 to $1,500, and it surprises me that so many people can afford them even though they earn very low incomes. I only use a cheap one which costs about $50. It doesn't have an MP3 or camera and I am very happy with that. Lots of my friends and colleagues asked me why I don't change to a new one, but I think I only need it to call or message and this is a good mobile which my best friend gave me.

Heaps of people even borrow money to buy a new mobile just just so they can show off. I know lots of people like this and I've told them but they said to me that they like to be part of the mobile world and don't want to be behind the fashion and must be on the top always. Such a crazy idea, because I know how much they earn and they can't afford it. It takes them a few months to pay back the money.

It's interesting watching groups of friends get together in cafes and they spend most of the time playing with their phones insteaad of talking to their friends. Crazy, don't you think? I wonder if it's the same in other countries.

Happy Women's Day

In Viet Nam, everyday is women's day but there are some really special days for them including March 8th, October 20th and many other days which seem especially related to women such as teacher's day and valentine's day.

8/3 of this year was such a special day at work because we bought lots of beautiful roses and gifts to give to the female staff and to customers. The smiles on their faces is proof that they enjoyed the day.

What else can men do besides giving women flowers and gifts? A passionate kiss, a sweet comment whispered in their ear to wish them luck :) Anything else?