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."

Flower Market

When talking about Hanoi, people think about food, particularly noodle soup, but they forget about the amazing flowers in Hanoi. I've been in love with Quang Ba flower market right since the first time I went there with my friends who lived nearby. This is the wholesale flower market which operates from 12am to 6am the next day. There are hundreds of growers around Hanoi coming here to trade flowers, selling to florists in the city and street sellers, the rest to couples and people like me who love flowers.

The best time to visit the market is from 1 am because that's the time the growers bring their flowers by motorbikes and trucks. They display their flowers on the ground and on the back of their motorbikes. The buyers check the flowers by torch and start bargaining. Do you know how much I paid recently for 100 beautiful roses? ONE dollar! Can you believe it? I don't think you do but that's the truth.

This market is a popular place for couples, to give each other flowers and propose. This is such a good idea for romantics. My western friends and I usually come here to buy flowers for parties and also sit down at the small shop in the middle of the market, talking and having a drink with the locals who are really friendly. Most of them are men from rural areas around Hanoi who transport flowers from their villages up to Quang Ba for their family business.

Rice Cooker

You might wonder why the title of this article has the title of Rice Cooker? It's actually slang for motorbike helmet in Viet Nam. From December people all over Vietnam have to wear helmets. It sounds weird that the government has to force people to take care of their own safety.

In Vietnam a few years ago, we had a rule for wearing helmets but only for those driving motorbikes on the highways but still not many people followed it, including me. I don't really feel comfortable wearing a helmut but I bought one today. For western people, wearing a helmet is something that they more than happy to do to protect their lives but for Asian people, especially Vietnamese, it isn't a habit even though they know it's good for them. I felt like I had to buy one because I have seen quite a few accidents recently between my home and the old quarter. I think it's worth spending 165,000Vnd just in case I do fall off and hit my head.

Since the policy was announced, the helmet business has been doing extremely well. I went to the Honda shop and they said they sold out a few days ago, then I went to the Protec shop, which was crowded with customers selecting a helmut to suit them. Luckily I got one for myself at a good price. I also tried to buy 2 more for my friends but the staff told me that I have to go back in a few days when the next stock arrived. The most popular brand for helmets are Amoro, Honda, Lucky Star, Protect. You can buy copies of these helmets which are made in China cheaply from 30,000Vnd instead of buying an original from 165,000Vnd. Most stuff from China is really cheap but I'm not sure about the quality.

Shopping In Kuala Lumpur

Shopping in KL is great and cheaper in some areas compared to Hanoi. I love shopping in shopping centres and in local markets because I can see the difference in the prices and the quality as well.

I went to one of the local markets called Central Market and actually loved it. I feel shopping here is very easy and I can play bargaining games as well :). I was really lucky that I found a clearance shop and they sold all their things with a fantastic discount and I of course spent lots of time (and money!) there. I bought quite a few items like masks and wall hangings from them and I am very happy with the quality as well. I also stopped at an Indian shop called Little Kashmir which sells stuff made in Kashmir and other parts of India. This is a great shop with all beautiful hand-made stuff reasonably priced. I feel regret now because I should have bought another wall hanging or another blanket. Their stuff is carefully made with so much detail. Check this shop out if you have a chance.

Shopping centers in KL look like other shopping centers around the world but they are all located in huge tall buildings. The difference is that they have a variety of stuff at great prices and the salespeople are really friendly. Clothes and cosmetics are cheaper and better quality than some other countries and I've also seen many Vietnamese in those shopping centers. I talked to some of them and they also feel a bit cold walking around these places, with the airconditioning turned down really low? Shopping in Malaysia is a very pleasant and cheap experience.

Sapa, Buy From Me

I love Sapa not because of the cool weather, but because in Sapa I can see the different ethnic minority cultures living with each other in peace. One thing which really surprised me was that most of the young minority girls get married when they are really young. I talked to many different girls and ladies selling their handicrafts and most of them have a few kids at just 20 years old. It's difficult to imagine how they can possibly have a decent life when they have to be constantly concerned with selling their products to earn their daily income which is so dependent on tourists' moods.

Most of the minority women selling handicrafts speak English quite well and with western accents which amazed me, and of course, they also can speak Vietnamese but sometimes not really well. They were teasing me heaps when I was there and most of the time I told them I am from Singapore but they didn't believe me.

Most tourists try to help them out by buying something BUT when you buy from one girl, a few minutes later, ten other sellers will come and stand around trying to show you whatever they have. "You buy from her, not from me, it's not fair" or "You took photos of me then you should buy something from me" are common complaints. Some of them are really agressive in the way they speak and they try to put their products on your body and also they give a very high price. I have practiced my shopping skills heaps before here, so I bargain really well but always give them some extra at the end.

To be continued