Duc

Duc

On the morning of my first full day in Vietnam, I made a list of places I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do while I was there. I took my list to the concierge of my hotel and soon the topic of taxi rides came up. He sent me to the front desk in the main lobby. There I met Duc. Dressed impeccably in his suit and tie, Duc was the receptionist/clerk. I showed him my list which contained the names of three stores and one tourist destination. I asked him how much it would cost to rent a taxi (provided by the hotel) and go to these four stops. He told me that for 52 USD I could have a car and driver for a city tour with one stop. (Be reminded that this entire conversation took place in short, often-repeated and rephrased sentences. Duc's accent was challenging. Mine must not have been too much better.) I told him that the city tour sounded nice, but what I really wanted was to go to the four stops on my list. (What happened next is still a little blurry but...) I think we negotiated until it was agreed that for 52 USD the driver would take me to my four stops (because only one was a tourist stop) and narrate the sights along the way.

Ben Thanh Market

This all happened at 9 a.m. That much said, I handed Duc my Visa and he said, "Tour leave 2 p.m.." No, no, no, I said, I don't want to go at 2 p.m. I want to go now. "You have cell phone?" he asked. I told him I didn't but really didn't understand why he had asked. "You wait please." I waited. After ten minutes in the lobby, Duc appeared and informed me that the plan had changed. He would refund me 12 USD and I would get no tour. Instead the driver would simply take me to the places on my list. That was fine too. Again I waited.

The Reunification Palace (the only tourist stop on my list)

After twenty minutes a different man approached me and asked if I had a cell phone. I told him I didn't. This time he explained that when I left the market (think Russian Market) I would not be able to locate the driver, so I would need to call him with my location. (As it turned out calling wouldn't have done much good because the driver spoke no English.) I understood but that didn't change the fact that I had no phone.

There are an estimated 4 million
motorbikes on the streets of Saigon

Another ten minutes or so passed and this time I was approached by Duc, except he was without his coat and tie. "Hello Suh. I be guide for you." I gave him back his 12 USD and off we went. What happened was fairly evident: hotel management was hesitant to send me out with a driver who did not speak English and with no way to find him if I got separated from him. I think it is remarkable that they didn't just bag the whole request. I've got to believe that in the USA I would have had a simple choice: go at 2 p.m. when a guide was available or forget it altogether. I am certainly glad it didn't turn out that way.

Enjoying a delicious bowl of pho (beef noodle soup)
at Pho 2000 restaurant

Duc is a 27 year old son of a man who once served and fought as a member of the South Vietnamese army in the "American War" (as it called in Vietnam). Duc was a true gentlemen. When I asked him if he thought there is resentment toward Americans because of the American War his answer was pretty simple. No. He said that Vietnamese people (especially in Saigon, as Ho Chi Minh City is often called) seem to like Americans, in fact all foreigners. He told me, "We should be polite to visitors. You are guest here." As proof, on one of our stops I was asked by a teenage girl to buy a fan. I told her No thank you, but she was persistent. I repeated No thank you several times before Duc intervened. He scolded her and even reported her to authorities (who promptly whisked her away by the elbow). When I asked him what happened, he said, "She is impolite. She was rude to you."

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!