It's Hammer Time!

Sure, I've haggled over fruit prices in more than a dozen different countries from El Salvador to Italy to Cambodia, I've fought numerous times with taxi drivers in India over the "No, that price was for one person, not two" game, negotiated the price of many a Thai souvenir, and even fought to get the high admission of China's attractions lowered to a student rate (even at the age of 35), but all of those pale in comparison with my daily, and sometimes relentless, experiences dickering over Dong in Vietnam. (To India's scheming credit, I'll give them the runner-up spot) Here, virtually EVERYTHING is negotiable and prices are RARELY posted. When asking for the cost of something, there's always that perceptible hesitation as the vendor sizes you up, trying to determine the maximum you'll be willing to pay. Once you get familiar with what the typical price range for a specific item is then you can just laugh and throw back the price you KNOW it should be. Sometimes they laugh back too and immediately cave, because it IS a game and you've called their bluff. We witness locals going through this same exercise all the time, so we know we're not the only ones, it's just that we're more likely to overpay in our naivete. Sometimes there's more discussion and compromise at a middle ground. And sometimes a vendor throws out a price 3-4 times above the norm or even what you JUST SAW change hands right in FRONT of you. In that case, I just laugh and walk away, ignoring their calls to come back (If they even do, sometimes they're just fine waiting for the next sucka), because just on principle I never give my sales to the greedy ones. But basically, EVERY SINGLE THING you need to buy throughout the day involves this level of work, and it DOES get old after awhile. Still, it's just the way things are done in this corner of the world, so you'd better be prepared for it.

Since we've dealt with this Olympic-level haggling for a total of four months now I've been starting to wonder if "I" should be the one to cave. I've seen with my own eyes how hard the produce ladies work, many of them growing what they sell, and only for a FRACTION of what prices are at home. Still, they seem to (dare I say) admire me for bargaining like a local. The little ladies in their conical hats look through my plastic bags, smiling at my purchases, asking what I paid for this and that and even give me a thumbs-up "Vietnam!" when I've paid the locals price for something. So, I try not to hammer them TOO hard, but regardless, I know I'm probably paying at least a small premium for most things.

The other day though, trying to depart Dong Hoi city, we had an altercation that's only happened one other time here. Maybe it was the rare, mid-afternoon coffee that helped to get us both riled up, but when the girl at the ticket window wouldn't sell to us, and then the bus driver demanded twice the price that was posted RIGHT ON THE WALL, we both put our foot down. We were willing to pay a small surcharge for our backpacks, but not DOUBLE PRICE! The guy was arrogant to boot, making a big spectacle to all the passengers already seated about how much he was going to extort from us, and soon to everyone within earshot. After several minutes of debate, he started to drive right into me (as I was blocking his way). At that point I'd decided I didn't even WANT to give him our business, no matter the cost. I was shaking with rage as he drove away - The audacity! This "extra" charge was just to pad his own pockets - The cocky jerk! The next bus wasn't for another one and a half hours, so in the meantime we ate lunch and strategized how to deal with the next driver. We figured cell phone calls had been made, and on principle alone we might have to stay another night and take the train. Fortunately, the next driver agreed to take us for the posted ticket price, and even later when he added on an extra 10,000 Dong (60 cents) each for our packs we readily paid it.

The Vietnamese, more perceptibily so than their neighbors, are hard-working, hard-driving business people. In a country where almost everyone is an entrepreneur, I guess you'd HAVE to be to survive. For the most part, every transaction is conducted with a laugh and a smile. These people LOVE to laugh and joke around. But don't let that deceive you or lull you into a sense of safety, because if you're not on your game they'll happily extract as much Dong as they can from you. For Americans specifically, haggling isn't in our nature and we tend to be uncomfortable with it. You ain't in Kansas anymore though, so it's time to learn some new rules -

1. Keep your cool and always smile. Either don't buy it or keep reminding yourself how cheap it is compared to home.
2. Come to the market with plenty of small bills in your pocket as vendors can rarely break a larger bill.
3. LEARN YOUR NUMBERS! for amounts and currency. You'll never get a good deal if you can't even ask for 200 grams or 3 kilos (no, they don't use pounds here). Know that if you're just trying to buy 1 lime, or a handful of cilantro, then you'll pay a premium. Better to ask for the minimum currency (mop nyang) and hold in your hand how much you THINK you should get for that amount, they'll bag up what they think is fair.
4. A "store" will almost always be more expensive than a "stall", but it still might save you money if you're not a savvy haggler.
5. Beware of vendors that try to seduce you with their English, or "Hangers around" who are trying to "help". Invariably you'll get the short end of the deal. Better to head to the back stalls where vendors are shy and probably get less business, so are willing to deal.
6. If you want to buy something, but don't know a reasonable price, there are a couple things you can do. Browse around and watch a local make a purchase, then follow by asking for that same price yourself. If this doesn't work, you can always try another vendor, armed with your new knowledge. Another option is to ask for the price on an item you DO know. If the shopkeeper is reasonable, then you can probably trust your other purchase there.
7. Make yourself a "cheat sheet" of prices ranges for each item (knowing that they CAN fluctuate from town to town) for reference at the markets.
8. Don't ask vendors sitting side-by-side for the price on the same item as they will probably be inflexible. Better to walk down the line a few and try again. If a neighboring vendor DOES catch your eye and agree to your price, be as discrete as you can in your monetary transaction, shouting brawls have been known to break out.

Good Luck!

Check the "link" for photos from the North-Central region