New Experiences In Vietnam

Vietnam and in particular, Hanoi has bought a whole new set of experiences.

I’ve taken a series of videos to show you what it’s like…

🎥 1 – It’s mesmerising to watch Vietnamese traffic – more enjoyable than riding through it. It feels like there aren’t any rules. At intersections everyone creeps towards the middle and gently weaves around each other. The traffic rarely stops but they slow down for each other. Pedestrians hold an arm out to signal “I’m crossing…” because traffic lights and crossings aren’t respected.

🎥 2 – Scooters carry heavy loads. There’s a traffic jam because a bunch of scooters deemed it suitable to park IN THE MIDDLE of the road. The officer in green was trying to get some order, but it’s like herding cats.

🎥 3 – Stew snapped a live picture just as I was tucking into my Banh Mi (a Vietnamese sandwich). At first I’d posed with the sandwich like it was a trophy, but we thought this video was much more human and real! I don’t know if you can see but my skin is spotty. I’ve never had spots like it as an adult. It could be from a multitude of things, but I’m guessing it’s air pollution, vehicle fumes, humidity and sweat. My skin has been getting worse since South China.

🎥 4 – my favourite. When we were sat outside drinking coffee this gentleman tapped on my shoulder and pointed to the floor. I thought he wanted to sweep the cigarette butts under my feet 🤦🏽‍♀️. He shines shoes on the streets; this is a popular business. I was confused because I was wearing sandals. He pulled glue from his caddy and pointed again at the soles of my shoes which were indeed broken. I was impressed by his hawk-eyes for a broken shoe. He wanted 50,000 dong (£1.65) to repair them. I didn’t haggle, I wasn’t bothered about the repair because they’ve been broke for months but out of sheer curiosity I paid 50,000Đ and he glued my shoes. The tools he used included the blade of a Stanley knife and a toothbrush. I probably walked on them too soon, but the glue didn’t hold haha.

Share your thoughts below and I’m curious to know, how do you handle haggling?