Odds and Ends
On the way back to the hotel I stopped by Bến Thành Market in order to pick up one last souvenir, since I had some local currency left in my wallet that I was looking to offload before my flight back home. I walked around the various stalls and the only thing that really caught my eye was a vendor selling Nón Lá hats, in the west known as Asian conical or rice hats.
I didn't have enough money in my wallet for the quoted price, since some of the cash was reserved for the taxi ride to the airport.. However, I had not yet haggled on my trip at all, mainly because I just don't really care and don't mind contributing to the local economy, given that the prices were very low by western standards to begin with.. I also dislike the hassle and dislike shopping in general, so as far as I'm concerned the sooner the exchange is over, the better.
Haggling is a part of Vietnamese culture though and I did want to at some point haggle in order to test my skills and participate in this aspect of Vietnamese life. A part of travel for me is throwing myself outside of my comfort zone and dealing with the fallout.. within reason.. and this was going to be one of those times. I had some experience haggling in Peru, Thailand, Cambodia, and Nepal, but haggling etiquette is slightly different depending on where you go.. and to an outsider it might all look the same, but the underlying dynamics and expectations can vary.
Earlier on in the day I had set aside the money I would need for the taxi ride to the airport and put it in another pocket, to help facilitate the upcoming haggling engagement. I then began to walk towards the stall I was interested in, but made a point to check out every stall along the way, casually glancing at the wares. When I made it to my target stall I stopped very briefly to glance at the hats, as if they had caught my eye. I casually eyed them up and down, then turned away and continued walking to the next stall. It did not take long for the vendor to engage me in an attempt to convince me that the hats were great and that I should buy one.
I was asked if any of them look interesting to me and presented with a stack to look through, so I could select one I like. Now, I know from experience that the first person to name the price is at an immediate disadvantage, so I played dumb and acted curious but slightly disinterested, eventually asking what the vendor what one of these would cost. When the quoted price came up I said that I did not have enough money, that it was too expensive, and handed the hats back to her and turned to walk towards the next stall. I was of course stopped and asked what I think a fair price would be. I could have probably gone lower but I ended up going with a price 40% lower than the initial ask.
This dance continued for a couple more minutes until eventually I told the vendor that I'm just not interested and began to walk away again. Finally I heard what I'd been waiting for: "Okay, your price!". I quoted the 40% discounted rate again and we shook on it. I picked out my hat of choice, paid, thanked the vendor, and walked back to the hotel to pick up my bags and secure some taxi transportation to the airport.
I'm pretty sure the vendor made a profit on the hat even with that discount.. and this is not even a hat I can really wear here in the west, where something like that would likely lead to accusations of racism or cultural appropriation. In Vietnam these hats are worn by both locals and tourists and you pretty much see them everywhere.. So I ended up with something I could not really wear, but.. I was happy with my haggling experience and hoped that the vendor had a good time too.
At the airport I found an overpriced phở stall that nevertheless looked pretty appetizing from a distance. I ordered a big bowl of wagyu beef phở, my final meal in the country. It actually ended up being pretty good; probably one of the better meals I've ever had at an airport.
The Australian couple in front of me in the line that took us through security was not having a good day. They apparently did not realize that they needed their visas for inspection on their way out of the country. This is needed because the visa details your exact point and day of departure. I had all my documents ready and was eventually waved forward to bypass the Australians while they continued to look through their bags. I presented my documents to the stern looking uniformed man behind the counter and eventually heard the satisfying sound of a stamp. It didn't take me long to locate my departure gate.. but there were still about two hours to go, and it seemed that the plane was delayed as well, so I walked around a bit and found a little lounge area with comfy seats, where I could lie back and rest a bit.
My flight was going to take me to the Incheon airport near Seoul, South Korea, where I had an 8 hour layover. At this point in time I had not slept for about 24 hours, had a 5+ hour long flight to South Korea ahead of me, then 8 hours of waiting for the next flight, then a 15 hour long flight to Toronto, then about an hour of waiting there, then a 2 hour long bus ride to my home town.. and then a 30 minute long city bus ride home.
When we touched down in South Korea I was tired to say the least.. I had not slept the whole night and it was already almost noon. My last day in Vietnam was also an especially hot and humid one, and I checked out of my hotel early and was not able to shower before the flight.
It turns out that the Incheon airport is one of the best airports on the planet for layovers. I found a lounge for passengers who were waiting for connecting flights, which among other things included a free shower! This was a gamechanger for me! Instead of feeling tired and icky I was able to jump into that shower like an excited child and took a nice long hot shower. After that I lied down in one of the comfy reclining leather seats, insulated from the rest of the airport, and took a brief nap.
I don't think I really slept, although it's hard to say as I was sort of coming in and out of consciousness. I was pretty damn tired. What eventually got me up was my stomach complaining a bit. And so I got up and began to look for something to eat.
Another great thing about this airport were all the food options. During my 8 hour long stay I ate a pretty good burger at a Japanese
Mos Burger chain, a taco at taco bell, and from what I could tell fairly authentic tonkatsu.
If you're wondering why I would bother with taco bell.. It's the only eatery I could find that did not play kpop. I needed to get away from all that noise, as it was hurting my ears and my brain.
Eventually it was time to get myself closer to the departure gate, which is when I came across an interesting procession.
I don't think I slept much on the 15 hour long flight to Toronto either. By the time I arrived back at home I was so tired I couldn't even fall asleep.
I was fine with all that though. This was a trip I will never forget. I really enjoyed the time I spent backpacking through Vietnam and I plan to return at some point in the future.
I would like to thank everybody who followed along and those who engaged by posting as well. I do have a couple more things to post that were missed along the way, but I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to get to them, as I now have to prepare for a week long camping trip. You can expect a couple more posts in about 2 weeks time, if not a bit sooner than that.