Preconceived Notions About Vietnam

About a year ago, we were interviewing for international teaching jobs.  Once we accepted our current post, I began reading.  I mean READING about Vietnam.  From internet blogs to every.single.book. in our city library and some I purchased from the internet.

Here is a list of things I found to be commonly held beliefs about Vietnam:

1. You (big fat Americans, or anyone over 5'8") will not be able to find clothes or shoes to fit you.

False!  I bought an absolutely cute skirt and a pair of boots last weekend.  It was in our 'western' part of town, but it is a part of Hanoi: 2012.  Plus, you can get anything you want tailored.  If I wanted to, I could get shoes cobbled.  Seriously, cobbled.  I just have to go to Shoe Street or Hoi An (a city famous for their tailors and cobblers).

2. There are no imported foods like cheese, cereal, tortillas, or salsa.

False!  Our local shop has most of these things and I know where to find the other items....just down our road.  Prices are high and selection is low, but these things are available.

3. Everyone is going to scam you.

False!  Admittedly, some Vietnamese people are trying to scam you .  By saying that everyone is, you are painting an entire country with the same brush.  Who hasn't been scammed in some other city, (by gasp), a non-Vietnamese person. Just be careful and pay attention to where that taxi is taking you.  If you see the same side of the lake twice or they don't run the meter, get out!  Otherwise, there are a couple of other scams running in the Old Quarter run by girls who speak English really well-they ask you to buy toothpicks and then try to snatch your wallet.  Just walk away from these girls.  If you don't stop, you won't get robbed, by them at least.

I've heard some people say that the higher prices for foreigners is a 'scam'.  I disagree.  Yes, the prices are a bit higher for us here than they are for local people.  However, prices are super low here on everything except for gas.  I don't really mind paying a couple of extra cents more.  That is all it really amounts to.  Quibbling over a nickle is not worth it to me.

4. Street food will make you sick.

Jury is still out on this one.  Jeff and I haven't been very sick while living here but we mostly go to places were we can see them cooking the food.  Plus, we cook (ahem) Jeff cooks a lot at home.  I don't really understand people's fear of street food.  I love Bun Cha and they cook it all on the side of the road with couple of hot coals.  Love it!  We get chicken on a stick from our "chicken on a stick lady" and she laughs at us and our attempts at speaking Vietnamese.  I think we are a novelty and she expects us to speak Vietnamese because we eat like Vietnamese people.  Pull over our motorbikes and get a couple of sticks of meat.  Get back on the motorbikes.

5. You will get robbed.
True- Most people I know have been robbed here.  Including me!  I know part of the blame was me and the way I was holding my purse on my motorbike.  The other part of the blame was the robbers (of course).  Now, I do things differently when I get on my bike.  I have down sized my purse so it fits either in the seat of my motorbike or inside my jacket. I think for hot weather, I will put it in my bike seat.  Of course, I have to remember to take it out of the seat when I get off the bike.  Breaking into my bike seat is easy.

Here are some other precautions we take when going out and about.  We don't pack more than one ATM card.  Either I take one or Jeff takes one but not both of us.  That way, if we do get robbed there is still an ATM card at home.  This isn't only because we might be robbed, but getting a new ATM card is a huge pain due to banking hours and locations.  We could leave both at home but sometimes we need extra cash.  Depends on what we are doing that day.  Jeff puts his wallet in a buttoned pocket or his front pocket.  We try not to have a lot extra cash with us.  Just enough for the day's activities.  A lot of the time, I won't even take a purse if we are going to the Old Quarter.  Although, thieves wouldn't notice me in the sea of backpackers walking around the Old Quarter with their backpacks and giant cameras screaming rob me instead of Janet.

Those are just five things I read again and again about Hanoi and Vietnam.  I'm not sure if they were written by people who were just here for a few weeks or by people who generally didn't like Vietnam. Regardless, it is nice to see how things really are for yourself.