All good travelers know there is something of an order effect with regard to how one perceives a particular country. I had
been wary of visiting Vietnam after Laos, as everyone I had spoken with that had knowledge of the two places seemed to
love the latter and had merely learned to tolerate the former. But there were too many factors pointing me in this
unenviable direction and I could not ignore them. And so I found myself leaving the friendly and relaxed confines of Laos
and heading to Hanoi.
The fifty-five minute flight stretched to nearly three hours as a dense fog surrounded the city. So, I was irritable on landing.
I decided perhaps foolishly to go with a tout to a hotel rather than deal with a taxi driver, who might prove to be just as
much a hindrance to getting to my hotel of choice. Actually, the tout’s hotel itself turned out to be better than expected and
was fairly priced. But what was not so pleasant was every time we left, on passing through the lobby, we were besieged
with requests to purchase one tour or another. It was explained to us that the room prices were so low that they needed to
sell tours to make any money. It seemed odd after two weeks in Laos where no one tried to sell us much of anything
despite rooms being half the price of the one we were currently inhabiting. But we good-naturedly decided it was easier to
buy a tour from them rather than save a couple of alienating dollars at an agency.
After a couple of enjoyable enough days in Halong Bay, we returned and on our way back to our original hotel, a tout from
another place offered us an even better deal and perhaps against better judgment, we took it as it was better located and
equally as nice.
It was the beginning the TET festival, Vietnam’s equivalent to New Years, Christmas and your birthday, all wrapped up in
one. Needless to say, the streets were a chaotic affair, with literally streams of motorcycles carrying not only the
customary full families, but also everything from refrigerators to kumquat or cherry blossom trees that are the traditional
home decorations for the holiday. Though interesting, it was disconcerting. Most travelers had suggested that Hanoi was
more relaxing than Saigon and indeed, we had looked forward to the old town with its narrow winding streets and countless
photo opportunities. If this was the easier going big city in Vietnam, we figured we were in for a long month. It did not help
that the weather was damp and cold, with little respite in our heat-less room. Despite this, we managed to enjoy the sights
and especially the varied and delicious cuisine of the nation’s capital.
Normally, Hanoi would have taken us three or four days to explore but with the TET festivities in full swing, some things
were not open and more importantly, travel reservations somewhat booked out. Or so we were led to believe. Our new
hotel staff assured us that they could get us a much-coveted sleeper on the Hanoi-Hue run of the Reunification Express,
Vietnam’s refurbished train that runs down the coast to Saigon. Their first quote was for $29 and this seemed fair enough
despite being five bucks more than the backpacker bus that runs through the entire country. After checking my guide that
evening, it was indeed a bit of a high quote.
The next morning, I learned my first lesson in Vietnam: when purchasing anything, always speak to only one person at any
individual place. I naturally assumed that anyone at the front desk would give me the same price but the perky girl now
residing there informed me that the price was $31 due to the TET. This was something we learned as TET got closer. All
prices went up as you got closer to TET. In a bit of a panic, I told her to check into the availability despite the price being
more than previously quoted. Later that night, she said our tickets were reserved and demanded the money. Since the
original clerk was on duty as well, I asked why the ticket had gone up $2 and soon the two of them were having an
argument. I ascertained, though having no faculties in Vietnamese but lots in traveling, that the new clerk was merely
tacking her share onto the price. I said I would pay only the original price and this brought on louder arguing from the two
of them, I assume over the cut of the commission on the sale. I was adamant about what I would pay, keeping my voice
low as not to lose face but this young girl seemed to know nothing about this Asian code of ethics, yelling at me that I was
“no honest.” I calmly explained that I was willing to pay what was originally quoted and said, if I could just see the ticket
with the price on it, I would gladly pay more. This infuriated them to no end, as the price would obviously be lower than
either one offered.
Due to Vietnamese hotel policy of taking your passport on signing in, I was in a vulnerable position to say the least. So, to
avoid any further altercations, I told them, I would pay for my room plus the $29 each for the two train tickets and be on
my way. The senior member of the two, asked if we were not happy with our room and we explained we were but not with
the staff. Utilizing their own cultural reservations, I said that with TET approaching, we did not want to start the new year off
in bad fashion and thus ruin the luck of the whole year. This seemed to bring them back to reality, at least theirs, and soon,
we arrived at an agreement. We paid for the room up till that point plus the originally agreed upon price for the train tickets
and we got our passports back so we could go to the bank. Needless to say, I never gave my passport to a hotel clerk
again as it was always conveniently in the Cambodian Embassy awaiting visa approval, whereupon I would present a
photocopy for their inspection and information purposes.
Much in need of a beer after this pre-festivities spectacle, I was happy to find an old woman on our corner with a freshly
tapped keg of the local Bia Hoi, a tasty if watery brew. We downed quite a few with some locals and though there was no
means of communication between us outside of the odd nod, wink and smile, this simple setting finally brought about the
holiday feeling we had anticipated. The haggard old woman, in particular, was full of warmth and readily accepted us as
one of her brood. As comfortable as it was, we decided to make our move to the waterfront to watch the fireworks. I
motioned to pay and was embarrassed at the low cost of our bill. I tried to round it up but she refused anything extra. We
shared one last smile and I happily walked away knowing that not everyone was out to make something extra on the TET
this year.
Once on the lake, we were quickly called over by some locals to join their impromptu party. We were happy to grab a
space on their blanket, as it was already quite crowded. They offered us some local snacks and we opened up a bottle of
wine we had bought for the occasion. They enjoyed practicing their English and one young girl, fascinated with Doreen’s
long blond hair, sat behind her and stroked it most of the evening. She felt a bit like a golden monkey in a cage but the
obvious genuine affection with which she did it, made it more amusing than annoying. The scene around us was much the
same with groups of people sharing their goods and company on big blankets. The fireworks came and went but what we
will always remember are the smiles of our welcoming hosts.
Since we were leaving the next day, we went back to the hotel, half expecting another problem with our tickets.
Surprisingly, the lobby was full of people from the hotel, sitting around much like at the lake. We were warmly greeted and
given our tickets immediately. I told them this was a good sign for the New Year and we were then offered some local
delicacies associated with the holiday. It was a nice continuation of the earlier feelings and a relief to finally have our ticket
out of town in hand.
Later that evening, in our room, I took a closer look at the ticket. The real price was in Dong, the local currency, and far
less than what we paid. I expected as much but made no comment on it when I left the next morning. It was, after all, a
New Year. In fact, the Year of the Monkey, and I figured it was time to stop making an ass of myself over a few Dong. Just
the same, I made a mental note to buy my tickets at the train station next time.
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