| | Apr 1, 2006 - Hanoi, Vietnam -- Playing The Game | (click to enlarge)
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 | | show all 25 | | At the Highland Cafe overlooking crazy Hanoi traffic | | Bustling Streets of Hanoi | | Bridge to Den Ngoc Son Temple | | |
| | Hanoi - Playing the Game
Within Asia, it is pretty much known that India is the hardest place to travel and has some of the biggest tourist rip offs and scams anywhere. Since we are not visiting India, we knew Vietnam would be our biggest challenge and we would have to stay on our toes as the cunning Vietnamese have no shame in taking you for every Dong (the Vietnamese currency) they can. The nice thing about travelling in Vietnam is that it is a safe country, in fact one of the safest in all of Asia. Violent crimes are virtually unheard of. You may, however, over pay for everything you buy, but money can always be replaced. As someone once told me after their travels in Vietnam, "Think of it as a game. You win some and you lose some. When you realize you have been taken and ripped off, just think of it as losing that round." And so we landed in Hanoi with this mentality in mind and pretty confident we would not be victims.
We were wrong. Before long, we lost our first round. Hard to believe as we were on our toes, but here is how it went. Arriving at the airport in Vietnam, we were well aware of taxi and hotels scams where the driver takes you to another hotel so he can earn a commission. We discussed with a taxi driver at the airport telling him the hotel we had reservations at and agreed upon the $10 going rate into the city. All seemed well and he assured us he knew our hotel and would take us there. He then advises us get in the taxi, which had another driver but he spoke to the driver in Vietnamese and this driver nodded and said he knew the hotel and we are on our way. Just outside the airport gates, the driver pulls over and takes the taxi sign off the roof and magnetic signs off the doors. Apparently, he is not a licensed taxi. This did not bother us too much as we know the Vietnamese are poor and figured he was just trying to make a living. Plus, when we did question him about it, he just came saying "No English, no English" and of course, we had not quite mastered Vietnamese and probably never will, so on we go. The drive was interesting taking in the sights of skinny three story houses with the fronts painted a gaudy variety of pastel colours while the sides were left in plain concrete with no windows waiting for the day another house is built tight beside it. They were rather strange looking to us but a sure sign of an increasing wealth and growing middle class in this poor country.
The roads on the way to the city were filled with a mixture of cars, trucks and mostly motorcycles. Barely a minute would pass by that either of us weren't tapping the other on the shoulder to point out some crazy motorcycle that was just loaded down with goods of one kind or another. Some had sugar cane piled on the back while others might have 3 people cruising along the freeway with only one wearing a helmet. Then the solo driver passed that made us both just turn and stare at each other in disbelieve. The bike had a cylindrical wire cage strapped on the back of it and it was filled with puppies stacked on top of each other. I felt ill. It was a reminder that we were again in a country that ate dog as a delicacy and did not view them as pets as we do in North America. One of those culture shocks you just have to get use to when travelling but none the less, it left us with a pretty awful feeling inside thinking of our dog friends back home.
Arriving into Hanoi we were treated to the craziest driving where the rules appeared to be the largest vehicle had the right of way and it is mandatory to honk for everything. Honk when you are turning. Honk when you are letting someone know you are there. Honk when you are passing. Honk to get people to move. Basically, just honk all the time and weave your way through the sea of pedestrians, cyclos, motorcycles, cars and anything else you might find on the road. Miraculously, we arrived at our hotel alive, or what we thought was our hotel. An overly friendly middle-aged man came running out to greet us at the curb as the taxi pulled up, opened the door and said, "Welcome to the Anh Dao Hotel" which was the hotel we had reserved on the internet. As he says this, he is showing us a copy of the hotel business card and quickly escorts us into the hotel. After inspecting the room he had for us, we realized this was not what we had booked - moldy, musty and lacking windows. The hotel staff tells us they are indeed part of the Camelia Hotel Chain, which the hotel we booked belongs to. Regardless, there was no way we were staying there. Instead, they offered to take us to one of their sister properties, again part of Camelia Chain, and just around the corner. Indeed this was nicer and we booked in here but ended up paying slightly more than what we had wanted and were still a bit confused about what was going. Which hotel was the Anh Dao? Were the pictures they posted on the internet misleading? What really is the truth? We later learned that this is always a big question in Vietnam - you never really know if you are being had or not and what the truth really was.
After losing the room booking, the hotel manager then did his best to sell us a trip to Halong Bay, Sapa and onward train tickets before we left to check-in to the neighbouring hotel. Of course, after just landing in the country and having such a confusing arrival, the last thing we wanted to do was book a tour before we even get our bags to the room. Good thing, as we later learned all his tours were about 50% more than the going rate with other agencies. Imagine, scam number two in our first hour in the country! At least we didn't book a tour from him and felt that we won that 'round' of the game even if we lost the hotel room 'round.'
The following day we did find the real Anh Dao Hotel and Camelia Chain and learned the taxi and hotel had been in cahoots together to get our business. He probably got a commission from the other hotel we ended up staying at which we later learned was no association to either his hotel or the Camelia Chain. In hindsight, we realized the hotel didn't have any sign on the inside giving away their real name and they probably do this with every fresh tourist they can get their hands on....or so we want to believe so we don't think we were the only suckers!
That was our welcome to Vietnam. A country where business ethics seem to be non-existent and the people will do anything to make a buck. Where communism has given way to a free market system but there is a total lack of business laws and certainly business ethics. The scams or 'game rounds' as we refer to them, continued throughout our stay in Hanoi, Halong Bay and most of Vietnam although Hanoi was certainly the worst. We have stories of taxis with fake meters, tour companies blatantly lying about our tour, tour guides telling you what they think you want to hear to make you happy rather than the truth and even a coffee that was probably quadruple the real price just because we forgot to ask for a menu or how much it was before we ordered it. If they can take you for some extra cash - they will.
Regardless of the challenges, we loved Hanoi and its intense welcome to the country. Here in the north, they seem to play 'the game' more here than anywhere else in the country. However, the energy and vibe from this busy city bustling with people and motorcycles jamming the narrow streets is incredible. People are selling anything and everything on the streets, sidewalks and shops. The noise level is intense starting first thing in the morning when the loud speakers on street corners began to blare traditional Vietnamese music and give government news and updates. Although we could not understand what they were saying, we laid in bed listening and thinking of the past strict communist days and what the messages would have said back then and now. Just another example of all the energy and activity in the city, which made great entertainment to sit and enjoy a coffee or a Bia Hoi (15 cent draft beer served on the street corners) and watch the world go by.
Aside from taking in the city scene, Hanoi has plenty of tourist sights to visit as well. Some of the highlights include seeing Ho Chi Minh's Mausolem and Museum, Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of the city, the traditional water puppet theatre and Den Ngoc Sen Temple. We spent a total of four days exploring Hanoi and as like most travellers used it as a base to head down to Halong Bay and then North to Sapa before venturing further south for the rest of the country.
TRAVEL TIPS FOR HANOI
1. The most interesting place to stay and certainly to explore is the congested old city of Hanoi which is a bustling hub or narrow winding streets loaded with shops, restaurants and small hotels. Take a map and write down your hotel name and address, as you are sure to get lost when you first start exploring.
2. Crossing the streets can be one of the biggest adventures you have in Vietnam. The best way to cross the streets is to make sure there are no cars or large vehicles coming and then just step into the sea of motorcycles and walk. Don't run, don't stop. Just walk a slow and steady pace across the roads looking forward and the motos will make their way around you.
3. Be on your toes for travel scams and rip offs. Hanoi is loaded with them especially in the lower end hotels and travel agencies around town. Unlike home, business names are not registered so if you are looking for a certain business to deal with, make sure you get the address too. Many successful businesses have their names copied by a half dozen other unscrupulous entrepreneurs trying to make a quick buck.
4. For a relaxing break from the hectic city, take a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake that is in the centre of Hanoi and surrounding by a nice walking path and benches where you can sit and take in the surroundings or read a book.
5. After exploring the old city, spend some time walking around the French Quarter with the wider streets, beautiful old buildings and colonial architecture.
6. At the end of a busy day of exploring the city pull up a tiny plastic stool on a street corner in the old city and enjoy a few glasses of Bia Hoi for the equivalent of about 15 cents a glass. Bia Hoi is a refreshing, light beer available on many street corners in the old city. Watching the hectic streets, street vendors, locals and tourists pass you by is entertainment for hours while you enjoy your Bia Hoi.
7. Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Museum and home are must visits while in Hanoi. For Vietnamese a visit to the mausoleum is a very serious and almost like a religious experience. They will dress up nice and absolutely no talking is allowed in the Mausoleum. Dress modestly and show respect when visiting.
8. When arriving at the Mausoleum they will ask you to check your camera as no pictures are allowed. Do not check it at the first checkpoint. Instead, insist on taking it through to the second checkpoint. When you check your camera here, they will give you a tag and will shuttle it over to another booth just outside the mausoleum exit where you can pick it up and use it for the other sites. If you check it at the first check point you will have to make the 10 minute walk back to get your camera before you continue on.
9. Cyclos can be a great way to get around if you are too tired to walk. For comfort, it is one person per cyclo but many people will pack 2 or even 3 people into one for short trips. Make sure you negotiate your price. One driver asked us for $14 US for a ride that we paid $2 for and suspect should have only paid the going rate of about $1.
10. Hanoi is an excellent base to use for exploring both Halong Bay to the south and Sapa to the north. If you don't have excursions to these places booked before you arrive choose your agent in Hanoi carefully and be very specific with your questioning to make sure you are getting both what you pay for and what you are expecting.
Important: Don't let the thoughts of all the travel scams scare you off of exploring this great city and country. If you do not like the hassles and worry about being taken, book a tour package from home with a travel agent and reputable tour operator. This way you will be sure to get what you are paying for and avoid the hassles while there.
www.carlhenderson.ca
www.imagestoframe.com
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