Please hang on your valuables (and random photos)

Seaside restaurant

Today while lunching with a friend, I encountered a young woman from Belgium. We asked how she liked Vietnam, and her reply was a sad but not a rare one. She liked it just fine until her purse was stolen along with all of her money and passport. She was booked on a bus to Hoi An tomorrow and was not sure what her future was…. In limbo of a sort. Her story was that she had checked out of her hotel and left the luggage in the lobby. She then spent some time sitting on a bench reading her lonely planet. She had put her purse beside her and was checking out the new sights to enjoy. Unknown to her, there were people lying back waiting for the perfect opportunity for a snatch and grab. That is exactly what happened. A motorcycle slowly cruised by in front of her when suddenly a teenager ran from behind, grabbed her purse, and then jumped on the motorcycle…. Zip and they were gone with the poor woman not having the chance to even get a description or license number. It was a practiced team effort and in a few seconds the young lady’s holiday was destroyed. I have no idea why the police do not have a bigger presence in the main tourist areas. Coincidently, in the past weeks I have had 2 different customers from Hoi An that have had the exact same thing happen. They also had it happen in broad daylight by very young people.

Please everybody!! Vietnam is a wonderful place to visit and the experiences you have here can be the best memories of your life, but always try to keep in mind that there are a lot of poor teenagers out there who are looking for any opportunity to make a buck. Keep your important documents and money in contact with your body at all times unless left with your hotel receptionist. Losing them can be devastating!! Crimes of opportunity exist in every country, but perhaps more so in poorer ones. Please do not become a victim.

While we are on the crime subject, let us go back to something that I talked about in the past about becoming a victim in Vietnam. Crimes of opportunity are everywhere and a little common sense will prevent you from becoming a victim. OH my god!! Woody Woodpecker is on my TV. I have not seen one in perhaps 40 years…… anyway…..

Besides the afore mentioned crime, there are also other forms of snatch and grabs to watch out for. Almost all of them involve a motorcycle, so always take a good look at any motorcycles with two riders that just seem to be hanging out. The cities here are riddles with small alleys and lanes. If you are wearing the painfully visible fanny pack ( sorry Aussies) You are just crying to become a victim. The snatch and grab on this item is extremely easy. A pair of hoodlums will spy you walking down a road somewhere and know that there will be many lanes you have to pass. The duo will select a location and sit in wait for the unsuspecting victim to pass. As the person passes the alley, very skilled people will drive by close on a motorcycle. You will think it was just a close call as traffic is that way here, but unknown to you until you need money, your fanny pack is gone!! The thieved have used a razor to deftly cut the strap and remove your pack without you being any the wiser. Huh!! Impossible you think??? One of the commenter’s on this forum had exactly that happen in front of my very own eyes. Only a short time after accidently dropping money from his fanny pack and having the money returned by an honest and friendly street person, a bike zipped out of an alley for the grab. He was lucky though, as the razor did not quite cut all the way through the strap and the tug was enough for him to realize something was not right. Seconds later, the pack just fell to the ground with the strap severed. Even I have become a victim in the past..  have had my wallet stolen by lady boys…. (you will have to look that one up for yourself) and I have had a bicycle stolen from the front of my hotel. Both crimes of opportunity. As foreigners, we tend to let our guard down. Here you cannot…. My friend today shook his head seeing that I had my wallet in my back pocket. Perhaps he is right… I became complacent and got robbed by the lady boys…..Perhaps the wallet is a tempting target for others, however, I have developed a bit of a 6^th sense about these things.

A sucker born every minute

Well… talk about another adventure. We arrived in Saigon after a smooth flight and I decided on behalf of both of us to try to travel as locals from the airport to district one where all the tourists go. We had a lot of time and I am determined to share with all of you how to cope in this sometimes chaotic place. I spotted a bus across the parking lot that had Binh Thanh which is the main downtown market close to the tourist area in the middle of district 1. Because Brad had a couple of large bags, we were asked to pay a triple bus fare. No problem… My fare was fifteen cents, and Brads a whopping forty five cents. My experiment was a total success!! We arrived in the tourist area only 1 block away from where I wanted to go. Until now I have taken a taxi. No longer!! The bus got us to the same area in the same time, only for 3000 dong instead of the usual 100,000 dong. The bus number is 152 or 153… I cannot recall exactly, but it will say binh thanh on the windshield. I will try to get the right number tomorrow. Now that I have discovered the local way to travel, I will never use a taxi again. After arriving at our destination, a couple of other foreigners were standing, confused as to where to find their hotel. I offered to help and we were on our way walking the busy streets of Saigon. As we were walking along, a hawker trying to sell a hotel room started following us. I told him in Vietnamese the we were helping foreigners and maybe we would be back to talk. Seeing the potential customer, he stuck with us until the end. I understand how it works here and he is in for a bit of commission if he delivers us to a location. I laugh silently to myself as he calls on his cell to make his arrangements to get his cut. He will make a dollar and I am happy. He deserves it for the hours he has been trying to attract someone to go to the mini hotel that is out of the way. And out of the way it is….  Winding through narrow alley ways into deep Saigon where very few tourists go, but still in the heart of the tourist area. I inspect the 15.00 room, knowing I could get it for a bit less, but am very happy with the cleanliness and the location, so no arguments. We stay. Funny though, I talk a bit about business, and we now have an agreement to send customers to each others hotels. So far everything is going well. Brad and I head out for a walk and see someone familiar on the side of the road. Brad recognizes him as a person who lives in NhaTrang near my house. I approach him and it is as Brad says. Not only is it a person who lived close to me, but he is someone who I was trying to meet for months. He is the only other western IT tech in NhaTrang that I have heard of. Finally I meet him but now he is leaving the country… some what not his choice from what I was able to glean. We stopped for an afternoon drink and then headed off for one of those great Doner sandwiches I have blogged about in the past. Richard…. If you read this blog, I look forward to seeing you again in the future.

I am stupid!!! In the early evening after dinner, Brad and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, We walked off the end of Bui Vien street on to a more local street in the tourist area. We walked a bit when Taxi girls, or in this instance I should say boys…. (yes there are ladyboys in Vietnam, but they are not to be trusted) pulled up beside us and offered sex. Of course we did not want. Brad, not wanting anything to do with these people moved inward on the sidewalk but I stayed on the street. I know about these tricksters and should have been aware of what was to come. I knew my wallet is always in danger from these people so most of my money was in a secure place however, The gal/boy jumped off  the back of the motorcycle and grabbed me by the privates very hard. Of course the distractions are promises of sex and such, did not tempt me. The problem was that I was grasped so hard by the balls, that both of my hands went to fend them off. This was a pro. He/she was able to hold on hard enough so after both of my hands were involved in freeing my testicles, the other hand got my wallet. I saw the pair drive off quickly and was unable to get the license number. HaH!! What an idiot I am. I know the scams, and the area and its petty crimes, yet I fell victim to it. I have to laugh about it a bit. I have not lost anything too important that cannot be replaced. My drivers license from Vietnam and Canada, a credit card and bank card, a few phone numbers, my health care card, and about seventy dollars. Brad seemed a little surprised at how I was able to laugh about it, but alas, this is probably the worst thing that can happen to anybody here. Live and learn……I think I will push back a bit. I am going to pick up another wallet, and glue it closed with a plastic bag full of ink and let that get picked… He He He….