Hoi An far exceeded my expectations. Its quaintness, charm, and affordability struck me most. After spending time in crowded Hanoi, it was nice to finally delve into the Vietnamese culture without feeling a sense of overwhelming chaos. Immediately after our arrival to the beautiful Ancient House Village Resort, we took a bike tour to explore the area. Although the population of Hoi An is far less than that of Hanoi, it did not make biking any easier. There were several times in which I saw my life flash before my eyes, but that was all part of both the fun and the experience. Following our tour we had free time to explore. Most of the group was eager to shop granted Hoi An is famously known for specialities such as custom tailoring and handmade souvenirs.
It wasn’t until my second and third day out that I not only realized, but witnessed physically and emotionally the unreasonable compensation Vietnamese workers receive for their work. While most naive individuals who have never traveled to Vietnam would counter that claim by saying their lack of work ethic has a lot to do with their minimal pay, that is far from the truth. I spent numerous hours in Bebe, the famous custom tailor in Hoi An, getting to know the manager and the workers. The two woman who I became quite close with told me that they only get paid $200 a month. The women who are stuck working in the back sewing the clothes receive even less and I consider their work far more grueling. The seamstresses and sales peoples’ work day usually starts at 8am and lasts until 9pm. That comes to $6.6o a day or $0.51 an hour. They struggle working long hours on their feet trying to make a sale. The average income of these individuals hit me the hardest. My jaw dropped in shock. I witnessed how hard they worked and how much they cared about their customers’ satisfaction. I ended up tipping the woman $5. She broke out in tears and started jumping out and down with joy as she hugged me. Seeing her work and then her reaction to my tip was so profound. A $5 tip in America would have been considered rude.
My experience at Bebe got me thinking about the disparity between the time and work put forth and the compensation received. So, I later stopped at an elderly woman on the street selling three dimensional cards. I asked her how much they were and how long it took to make one. She replied by saying the easier ones take an hour and a half and the more intricate ones can take up to two hours or more. She was selling the simple ones for about $1 and the more complicated ones for $3. It was then that I realized that she was lowly valuing her time, not because she wanted to, but because she had to.
I started to feel guilty for all the bargaining I had done. These street vendors break their back trying to make cheap sales from sun rise to sun down. Five dollars to me is nothing, but to the Vietnamese whose livelihood depends on tourists, five dollars is everything. Bargaining is not prominent in the American culture like it is in the Vietnamese culture, which is shocking considering the need to make a living. No one in America would work from 8am to 9pm making $6 a day. The work ethic the Vietnamese have is unmatched. The idea of retiring does not seem to be an option here as it is in America. While it seems the Vietnamese workforce, especially vendors and crafters, place a low monetary value on their time, it’s only because they know it’s all they will realistically receive.
A low paid silk factory employee hand sewing a photograph that will take almost a month to complete
Follow