Vietnam study abroad 2015

Throughout our time in Hoi An, I made a few observations that really struck me about the culture of Vietnam compared to the culture of America. First, I noticed that people are willing to bargain for anything, down to any price, if it means they will make a sale. Second, I saw the complete disregard and lack of compassion towards animals.

The shopping culture of Hoi An did not really surprise me. I knew when I came to Vietnam that I would be able to haggle and bargain almost everything I bought. I also knew that the storekeepers would try to rip me off, and if I didn’t bargain I would probably be paying way too much for a good that was not worth it. What I wasn’t expecting was for shopkeepers to bargain so low with me, or for them to chase me down the street when I walked away. This really struck me because it showed how important just making a single sale was to them. Whether they got the price they asked for or not, any sale was a sale, and it meant money. I also noticed that a lot of the shopkeepers would compliment me or engage me in a nice conversation in order to get me to pay. For example, I was walking in a market and a woman came up to me and asked about where I was from and complimented my hair and my skin, then offered to give me a manicure for $1. While I would have loved to pay for her service, I did not want to get a manicure on the side of the road. She even took me to her shop and showed me around and gave me her card, all in the hopes I would sit down for a $1 manicure. She also told me how her sister is a nail technician in the US, and she was so proud of her for that. I found it very interesting and also kind of sad that she was so proud of her sister for getting to be a nail technician in America, and that she was so desperate to paint my nails. The entire shopping situation in Hoi An was very humbling, and it made me realize I that bargaining a few extra dollars down isn’t really worth it because these people need the money more than I do.

Aside from the shopping, what absolutely struck me the hardest was the animal situation in Hoi An. We constantly saw dogs and cats sleeping on the side of the road, which is normal in a developing country but not normal to me. It broke my heart to see them so skinny and not being taken care of. There were two separate instances, though, that really put me over the edge, and I wish I could have done something to help. First, I saw a small puppy sitting behind a man on a motor bike, shaking and not strapped in. The dog easily could have just fallen off and been run over. Seeing the scared dog, and knowing its fate (eventually it will probably be eaten) made me upset. The dog is helpless and petrified, and the fact that people here do not treat them properly makes me sad. Next, I was in the market and saw a dying kitten on the side of the road. It could not have been more than 3 weeks old, and it was shaking and had red, crusty eyes. I knew that by the end of the day it would probably die, whether it was too sick or got hit by a motor bike. As I am sitting there, wishing I could help it, I see people just walking by, stepping over it, and not even caring that this little kitten is suffering. The entire situation made me rally think about humane treatment of animals, and it would be awesome if those values could be taught to the people of Vietnam, or if an animal shelter could be created. It is hard for me to understand that some people just don’t care about them, especially because they are so helpless and dependent on humans. 

Overall, Hoi An was my favorite stop of the trip. Aside from the sad animals, I loved how easy it was to shop and how I could get anything custom made just for me. The beachy feel and beautiful lanterns and bridges were amazing, and the food was so. Fresh and delicious. I would love to be able to come back to Vietnam and spend more time there. 

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Throughout our stay in Hoi An, and especially when we took a day trip into Da Nang, I was continuously shocked at the amount of construction for resorts. After our reflection period, it definitely made me realize that Vietnam’s exploding economy is extremely dependent on tourism. As Vo said, all of the retailers depend on tourists to make their money as it’s more or less seasonal based with peak season in the summer and winter breaks and slow season otherwise. I found it a little shocking because I feel like a lot of these resorts will cause the competition amongst the resorts to rise, which in turn doesn’t fill up all the hotel rooms. To further explain, say there are 5 resorts that consistently are completely booked, especially in peak tourism seasons, then what happens in 10 years when there are 20 resorts? All of these resorts cost millions of dollars and if they can’t be continuously occupied, then they lose money, thus limiting profits and spending habits that help out the average retailer at the end of the block. When looking out the window on our way to Da Nang, it became apparent that throughout the country, more so in more popular tourist areas, that the rich will only get richer and everyone else struggles to remain at the same social status. Along the fences of these blocked off grids for resorts to be built, were hundreds of homes housing citizens. What happens to them when the resorts are finished and restrict their access to the beaches they used for fishing, a main source of food and income? That became more apparent when driving through the city to the big pagoda, where we drove along this massive beach for tourists, but then at the corner of the cove, was the area that was allowed for fishing, which was clearly over crowded. Although Vietnam is economically growing at a rapid pace because of tourism, I’m intrigued to see if that will eventually be bad for them because it seems as if it’s a business sector that both domestic and foreign investors are diving into increasing the amount of competition with every investor.

Another thing that really struck me was the aggressiveness and persistence of the “promoters” or doors people at restaurants, and the foot vendors. I have worked in retail for more than 10 years and I know the first rule of thumb is to make your customers experience memorable and enjoyable so they come back. However in Hoi An, the amount of people that literally stop me in my tracks to try and get me to buy something with somewhat of a begging tone is out of control. From my perspective, imagine if I stood on the sidewalks of my town stopping people in their tracks forcing them into the store to buy something. To me, that doesn’t sound like I’m enhancing the quality of their experience so that customer is inclined to come back. This sort of lead to me to my next point, which is that most of their economy seemed to be retail based, and as someone who knows retail very well, success doesn’t last forever. When I looked around at the products sold in Hoi An, they were a dime a dozen meaning I could find the same exact product two doors down. So, similar to the resort topic, the level of competition amongst the retailers limits their ability for success. Also, none of the products they sell are commodities or something a person needs or expects to have. For example, I don’t need a piece of artwork to get by, but if I want one, I’ll buy it and that’s it, I don’t need a new piece of artwork every year. The same idea goes with the tailored suits, as say I buy 3 suits. Those 3 suits will last me a very long time. My point is that once enough tourists come here, the level of competition of lack of differences amongst resorts and products will cause the economy to come to a holt. Once someone buys a painting once, they keep it for a while, whereas stores like hardware stores can serve a large market population via construction, interior/exterior designing, and agriculture, on a consistent basis.

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In America there’s definitely a prevalent belief in the saying “money buys happiness.” In the past, I have never agreed nor disagreed with this statement but now that I am in Vietnam and experiencing a different culture, I can strongly say that I do disagree with this statement for I believe that money absolutely cannot buy happiness, in fact maybe money even distracts from happiness.

While biking the streets of Hoi An, looking to my left and right all I could see was small, compact villages living such poor lifestyles from what I am accustom to seeing at home, in America. These families’ houses consist of dirt as the ground and fire as the source of heat. They wear rags for clothing and often people walk around and work with no shoes entirely. It has been very evident throughout our travels in Hoi An that majority of these people are living off of very little to no income. And yet when you bike past them they greet you with big, warm waves and smiles as they continue on with their work. You see kids playing games in the sand and running around with no toys, and yet they look like they are having more fun than kids in America do who have all their complex electric toys.

I think I came to this realization that money doesn’t buy happiness when we went on the coconut boat rides the other day and the native people paddling the boats were so silly and literally seemed more happy than most Americans I interact with on a daily basis. No, they aren’t racking in money like those who work on Wall Street, but at least they laugh and look like they’re genuinely satisfied and happy with the way their lives are going. Living in Fairfield County in Connecticut all my life, I know a lot of people who lead extravagant lifestyles but I honestly can say that a lot of these individuals always seem so stressed to the point you barely catch them smiling or laughing. I think it’s refreshing coming here to Vietnam, seeing such poverty, and seeing these same people who are living with nothing appear happy as could be with the biggest smiles on their faces. Experiencing this has definitely made me realize I need to take a step back sometimes to appreciate how much I have and not let the expectation and stress to make money distract me from the ultimate goal, happiness.

Look how happy this guy looks… He was laughing and smiling the entire duration of our boat ride!!

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On the afternoon of 1/8/2015 we visited the Quang Vinh ceramic factory in Bat Trang, near Hanoi. We learned how the workers used molds to mass-produce certain pottery designs. And we all observed the difficult working conditions inside the factory. The air we breathed was surely unhealthy; the work was clearly back-breaking, required intense focus, and obviously monotonous. We all agreed that you would have to pay us a fortune to entice us to work there, and even then we would probably quit within the week.

After visiting the factory we went inside the adjacent store where we could buy the finished products. We were amazed by both the beauty and the great deals! I bought several hand-painted vases, each costing no more than $4. If I had purchased an American-made vase of similar quality in Seagrove, NC (a hotbed of American pottery); I likely would have paid a price 10 times that. Why? Both places have great artists, great clay, and similar knowledge of ceramic production processes. The difference must come down to labor. The vase I paid $4 for was made by Vietnamese workers; the equivalent vase I might have purchased in Seagrove for $40 was made by American workers. I don’t know the actual wages for either the Vietnamese or the American pottery workers, but I do know that in 2013 the real per-capita GDP (in international $) for Vietnam was 5,126 while the corresponding measure for the U.S. was 51,471.

These two numbers are reliable estimates of the average incomes in the two societies. Why do Americans ceramic workers likely earn more, on average, than the Vietnamese ceramic workers? Is it because American workers have better skills, or are willing to work harder, than the Vietnamese? From what I can see, probably not; perhaps the difference comes down to choice. A worker in the Bat Trang ceramic factory is there because she has no better choice. No American would work there at Vietnamese wages. The typical American has many more choices, often times including the choice of not working.

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