R E T I R E E A R
L Y L I F E S T Y L E ~ S I N C E 1 9 9 1 ~
Live Well
Laugh Often
Billy & Akaisha Kaderli
Lighten Up
Love Much
PERSISTENT PEDDLERS
HOI AN, VIETNAM
BILLY AND AKAISHA KADERLI
In third world travel, street vendors are the norm. They come in all shapes, sizes and
ages, selling everything you can imagine from fresh fruit, hand woven
baskets, and jewelry, to bug repellent. Performing a much needed service, the product comes to you, and the experience creates colorful memories
of your journey away from home.
Most vendors, it is well known, will bargain for the price they will accept
for their item. The more you are a tourist, and unaware of what an item is
worth, the more they are able to charge. Some tourists think “It’s ok, it’s
only five bucks, and I’m on holiday.” Others say “I don’t know how/don’t
want to bargain, and it’s not very much anyway, -- I’m on vacation.” The
vendors know this situation perfectly well, and are especially looking for YOU.
Traveling full time for fourteen years, we are not tourists. Our style of
viewing countries is to “get local” as soon as possible, know what something
MOBILE EARLY MORNING VENDORS
.
BEAUTIFUL SMILE, BOUNTIFUL CHOICES
costs or is worth, and set up a domicile.
We then like to get to know the locals of any
area, especially shop owners, restaurant owners, and any wait staff or
service personnel. We have dealt with street vendors in countries from Mexico and the Caribbean, to Thailand, Bali, Laos, Burma, Vietnam,
and China. Although there are similarities with all of them, the Hoi An
vendors stood out as some of the more obnoxious ones we have encountered.
A typical Vietnamese selling technique is to come up to you right
away, tell you their name, and to say, “I meet you first, you buy from me”.
This goes for everything from tailoring to cut pineapple in a bag.
Capitalism is fairly new in this Communist country, and skillful methods of
selling and service are just now being learned. Some sell through their
delightful personalities, filled with smiles and engaging jokes. Others sell
through sheer will and persistence. Some, through sob stories that they have
perfected long before we came across the scene, and it’s hard to separate
what is going on from what one is supposed to do about it.
This challenging mix of wanting to milk the tourist, with the actual need
that is prevalent and obvious, is a hard combination to balance. The
disparity between the fortunes of the visitors
and the life of the locals is conspicuous.
On the beach, there is a beautiful hotel that charges $140 USD per night
to stay. This is fairly reasonable as beachside resort hotels go, however, translated into Vietnamese
Dong,
it is over 2 million, for a single night. It is beyond any comprehension of
money that the locals know. And they think that all the foreigners are
staying there. So when they see you coming, they beg, whine and grab you, and won’t take no for
an answer. The perception is that all foreigners have unlimited money, spend
millions of Dong a day, and so therefore, 10,000 for this, and 30,000 for
that is nothing to you. They will size you up, and add thousands of Dong or
more to anything they sell.
In the picturesque town of Hoi An, the sense is that the tourist is here for
a short period only, so the sellers feel that pressure of time. There is
very little authentic interaction of any sort from most vendors. “You look
Vietnamese. I like you. Buy from me.” Now Akaisha has been called many things,
but it is a full stretch to say she looks Asian.
This is a handsome, quaint town that has been overrun by their action. You
cannot walk five feet from your hotel’s front door before you’re asked to
“buy something” rent a bike, or hire a motorbike. And that’s
EVEN ON A PEACEFUL BOAT TRIP, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!
before you hit the shopping streets. Once there, it’s a
constant barrage of “come in and buy something”, which gets old fast.
We personally enjoyed our stay in Hoi An. It could be described as
upscale tourist, with gouging included. If
you look, you will find bargains, but it
may tear your heart out in the meanwhile. The scenery and weather is
beautiful, the envy of many countries, and the place is very clean.
Vietnam is a nation with an emerging economy. All things are up for grabs;
giving decent service, what makes good quality, speaking English. There are
lots of opportunities mixed in with the “other stuff” one has to put up with
in this tourist destination.
If you are prepared for the onslaught of the sellers, where polite “ no
thank you’s ” are completely ignored, Hoi An, with it’s spectacular beauty
is your perfect destination.
