"The market is not an invention of capitalism. It has existed for centuries. It is an invention of civilization."
- Mikhail Gorbachev
OK…so who is the better deal negotiator…the visiting American from the capitalist country…or the merchant from the communist one…???
The art of the deal is alive and well in Vietnam…as matter of fact it is more alive here on the street than in America…You can literally (if you have money) buy anything you want here…we mean anything!!! It is expected and considered part of the system to bargain…particularly with street merchants…and there are many…as a matter of fact it is the principal component of the consumer economy in Vietnam…
Now we are easy targets…we don’t speak the language…we are perceived to be rich (and by Vietnam standards we are) and willing to buy things…But, we are not skilled (even though we were raised in a supposed consumer based economy)…the reality is that we do bargain…but not very well…The problem is…you get to the point here that you are literally haggling over pennies…yes, pennies….with people that need the pennies…so you honor the tradition of the bargain….and pay the extra 50 cents for the Ho Chi Minh t-shirt…First of all it is pennies…second of all it is hot and humid…third of all we wanted the Ho Chi Minh t-shirt…
One of the interesting things about the merchants here are they are clearly family businesses…particularly the shops…with the shop on the first floor and their homes on the second and higher floors…This is very interesting … it sort of is a reminder of the system that used to exist before the advent of big box stores in the USA…You want meat…go to the local butcher…you need your motorbike fixed, go to the local, family run mechanic…etc., etc…In many cases, particularly in the center of Hanoi, the streets are organized by trade…for example there is a street with only shoe shops…rows of shoe shops, or jewelry, or house wares, or welding shops, etc., etc…. again organized, grouped by the street…very convenient…and somewhat strange…literally you have shop after shop of the same things for sale….In other areas of the city you have more neighborhood setups with local specialty shops, like butchers, produce shops, pharmacy, bakeries, etc.,etc. In fact, where are hotel is located is not the center…so we have frequented the local shops for food, supplies, etc…A great experience…and again kind of glimpse to the way towns and neighborhoods used to be in the US, with locals shopping at local merchants…
That being said….there is a lot of construction here…everywhere…with hotels popping up…large apartment buildings…and with that development, large “big name” stores…for example we have shopped at the BIG C supermarket…where there are a lot of the new “upper middle” class Vietnamese shopping…and the place is packed and crazy!…We have not seen many older people there, but definitely many professionals and families in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s buying their food, clothes, diapers, and everything else…We are curious to see if this will have the same effect on the local merchants here as it has in the US…
So we have purchased many souvenirs…and we are sure that in the last few days that we have here we will purchased more….and yes, when we return home..we will go to the acme, target, the mall, etc…and play the boring game of buying things based on the price tag…not haggling…Although given the fact the worker we will be dealing with in the US at one of those stores will not be the owner or his/her sibling…but some teen age kid working minimum wage who cannot make change unless the cash register is working properly…
So the message of the post is…the art of the deal and the market is alive in Vietnam…and maybe it is in the USA as well, but certainly it is less art than it used to be…and for sure less personal….
We are definitely set to be home on Wednesday…details to follow…see more pictures from our travels today…
Another great image of the amazing gardens here in Hanoi...
Monument honoring King Le Loi...
Propaganda...Great Art...
Typical shops...
Heading back to the hotel in a taxi...
Another busy street of shops...
Becki...selling pineapples and bananas???
Daddy and Anthony having fun with a local fruit lady...
One of the many retail centers in Hanoi...This one has a Highlands Coffee, the "Starbucks" of Vietnam...they are everywhere...
Having dinner...
There was a traditional Vietnamese music ensemble at our restaurant tonight...this is the lead singer with Becki....When she found out we were from the USA...the band played and sang "Oh Suzanna" with the traditional instruments
The singer with Daddy and Anthony
The bakery section at the Big C...
Produce section at the Big C...
- Mikhail Gorbachev
OK…so who is the better deal negotiator…the visiting American from the capitalist country…or the merchant from the communist one…???
The art of the deal is alive and well in Vietnam…as matter of fact it is more alive here on the street than in America…You can literally (if you have money) buy anything you want here…we mean anything!!! It is expected and considered part of the system to bargain…particularly with street merchants…and there are many…as a matter of fact it is the principal component of the consumer economy in Vietnam…
Now we are easy targets…we don’t speak the language…we are perceived to be rich (and by Vietnam standards we are) and willing to buy things…But, we are not skilled (even though we were raised in a supposed consumer based economy)…the reality is that we do bargain…but not very well…The problem is…you get to the point here that you are literally haggling over pennies…yes, pennies….with people that need the pennies…so you honor the tradition of the bargain….and pay the extra 50 cents for the Ho Chi Minh t-shirt…First of all it is pennies…second of all it is hot and humid…third of all we wanted the Ho Chi Minh t-shirt…
One of the interesting things about the merchants here are they are clearly family businesses…particularly the shops…with the shop on the first floor and their homes on the second and higher floors…This is very interesting … it sort of is a reminder of the system that used to exist before the advent of big box stores in the USA…You want meat…go to the local butcher…you need your motorbike fixed, go to the local, family run mechanic…etc., etc…In many cases, particularly in the center of Hanoi, the streets are organized by trade…for example there is a street with only shoe shops…rows of shoe shops, or jewelry, or house wares, or welding shops, etc., etc…. again organized, grouped by the street…very convenient…and somewhat strange…literally you have shop after shop of the same things for sale….In other areas of the city you have more neighborhood setups with local specialty shops, like butchers, produce shops, pharmacy, bakeries, etc.,etc. In fact, where are hotel is located is not the center…so we have frequented the local shops for food, supplies, etc…A great experience…and again kind of glimpse to the way towns and neighborhoods used to be in the US, with locals shopping at local merchants…
That being said….there is a lot of construction here…everywhere…with hotels popping up…large apartment buildings…and with that development, large “big name” stores…for example we have shopped at the BIG C supermarket…where there are a lot of the new “upper middle” class Vietnamese shopping…and the place is packed and crazy!…We have not seen many older people there, but definitely many professionals and families in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s buying their food, clothes, diapers, and everything else…We are curious to see if this will have the same effect on the local merchants here as it has in the US…
So we have purchased many souvenirs…and we are sure that in the last few days that we have here we will purchased more….and yes, when we return home..we will go to the acme, target, the mall, etc…and play the boring game of buying things based on the price tag…not haggling…Although given the fact the worker we will be dealing with in the US at one of those stores will not be the owner or his/her sibling…but some teen age kid working minimum wage who cannot make change unless the cash register is working properly…
So the message of the post is…the art of the deal and the market is alive in Vietnam…and maybe it is in the USA as well, but certainly it is less art than it used to be…and for sure less personal….
We are definitely set to be home on Wednesday…details to follow…see more pictures from our travels today…
Another great image of the amazing gardens here in Hanoi...
Monument honoring King Le Loi...
Propaganda...Great Art...
Typical shops...
Heading back to the hotel in a taxi...
Another busy street of shops...
Becki...selling pineapples and bananas???
Daddy and Anthony having fun with a local fruit lady...
One of the many retail centers in Hanoi...This one has a Highlands Coffee, the "Starbucks" of Vietnam...they are everywhere...
Having dinner...
There was a traditional Vietnamese music ensemble at our restaurant tonight...this is the lead singer with Becki....When she found out we were from the USA...the band played and sang "Oh Suzanna" with the traditional instruments
The singer with Daddy and Anthony
The bakery section at the Big C...
Produce section at the Big C...
2 comments:
It seems like you 2 had fun immersing yourselves in the local culture. That's great. We look forward to seeing the 3 of you when you get back.
Sharif
Love the pics of you and Tony with the banana and pineapple thingy on you!! Little Anthony looks like he is saying..." Oh my lordy...are my parents REALLY do this!" LMAO JK Looks like you guys are sopping it all up before you get back to the good old USA! See you then!
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