Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Day 2

So I booked a couple tours for the week after getting into HCM but I overslept in the morning and missed the pick up so I had to look for a replacement event for the day. I found what appeared to be the only cooking class in HCM city and decided to sign up. First of all, the class was $45 dollars for a 4 hour course…which ok maybe in the states is cheap but in south east Asia – you can eat 7 meals for that amount…its astronomically high. Secondly, the interpreter was horrible. Her English was atrocious despite majoring in it in high school and university, and she wouldn’t let us alter the recipes at all. She yelled at me when I put extra hot sauce and fish sauce in my food. Hello, I’m eating this not you. Lastly and definitely the worst, the foods were all prepped for us already and the “cooking” class was more like a 2nd grade “painting by numbers” class. There was no prep work, little “cooking”, and a bland informational session on local fruits which bored me to tears. So while I wouldn’t consider this adding to my perception of HCM as a rip off capital…it definitely didn’t help to bolster my image of the city.

The true rip off of the day happened during my motorbike ride to the cooking class. The owner of the guesthouse had helped me to book the cooking class and offered to help me book a motorbike ride out to the cooking school for 50,000 dong each way and 100,000 dong both ways (which is about $3 and $6 respectively). The guesthouse proprietor said it should take about 45 minutes and was across town...we got there in 15 minutes. During the cooking course a monsoon was going through the area so when it was time to leave, one of my classmates suggested that we share a cab back to the area that we were all staying so that I didn’t have to ride back on a motorcycle in the whipping rain and wind. So I went outside and told the motorcycle driver and paid him 50,000 dong for the ride to the school. At which point he became extremely agitated and demanded the 100,000 dong for the entire ride. I calmly explained to him that I used half of his services and that I would pay him for the one way trip. The cab came and as we started to get into the cab to go home, the motorbike driver exploded into a tirade of about eight English words which he knew while physically threatening me. At which point, I had to stop and laugh at the absurdity of the situation…this guy came up to maybe my chest and I probably could have handled him with my dominant hand tied behind my back. I also realized that we were arguing about $3 dollars but at this point it was more principle than the actual money. I attempted to placate him by offering 10,000 dong for having to drive over to the school to pick me up…but to no avail. Finally I gave him another 10,000 dong and said enough is enough that’s all you’re getting and if you want to fight about the other 30,000 dong,I’ll be happy to wrap you around your bike. He of course backed down with his 20,000 dong; and after getting into the cab, I recounted the story to my other travelers. One girl who had been living in HCM for about 2 months said that even the 50,000 dong for the one way trip was astronomically high…that I should have gotten it for 10,000 dong…

The cab ride back in a legit cab for four people was 33,000 dong…

The “tourist pricing” is not what bothers me. The thing that bothers me is the extremity, audacity, and tactless rudeness that I had experienced thus far in Vietnam. At least in Thailand and Cambodia, you know you’re getting taken for a ride, they know you know, but at least they are friendly and smile about it the whole time.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam - Day 2