You know how Istanbul was
Constantinople, but now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople? Well, the
same is true in another major city that isn't its nation's capital.
Ho Chi Minh City was Saigon, but now it's Ho Chi Minh City, not
Saigon. Been not quite as long a time gone for Saigon. Now it's
Vietnamese delight on a tropical night.
The other day we flew into Ho Chi Minh
City. Though the airport code is SGN, a throwback to those bygone
Saigon days. Our arrival was not smooth, which is not a complaint
about the plane. The landing was very smooth. It was after we exited
the aircraft that things got rough.
Vietnam is one of the nations that
requires U.S. citizens to have a visa to enter. You don't have to get
it ahead of time, you can get a visa on arrival, but to do so you
must have a visa approval letter done ahead of time. We had done
this, we had our visa approval letters all printed out and ready.
Now, we were approved for a 90 day visa
which would cost $25 per person (so $100 for the four of us.) This
has to be paid in U.S. dollars. You do not pay this in Vietnamese
dong. I do not know why this is. But it was not a problem because I
had $200 in U.S. currency.
However, on 1 September (which is how
the world aside from the United States writes September 1), Vietnam
changed it's rules regarding visas for U.S. citizens. Now, upon
arrival any U.S. citizen gets a one year visa. This is, I'm sure,
very convenient for U.S. citizens who want to retire to Vietnam where
their money goes far. Now they only need to do a border run once a
year, instead of every three months. However, it isn't so convenient
for anyone who wants to come for only a few weeks. Because a one year
visa costs $135 (which is much greater than buying four or even five
90 day visas. I don't know why this is – again.)
We had gotten our approval letter
before 1 September, and we were assured that this change in the law
would not affect us. Guess what, those assurances were wrong.
We arrived on 14 September into Ho Chi
Minh City and went to get our visa on arrival. But the immigration
officers explained that we had to get one year visas at a cost of
$135 a piece. That is a total of $540! (I'm sure all of you worked
that out in your heads before I told you the total, but my math boy
in me couldn't leave it uncalculated.)
Now, as I'm sure you have also worked
out in your heads, this meant I was $340 short of the amount I
needed. Panic is now beginning to set in. Don't get too upset. I am
writing this from Vietnam, so somehow or other I got in. (And to set
your heart at ease, so did the rest of my family.)
The immigration officer allowed me (but
only one person was allowed to go) to go through immigration and
customs out to the part of the airport where there are ATMs. Then I
was able to get money in Vietnamese dong, and they would take the
remainder in dong rather than dollars. I don't know why this is, but
I was grateful for it.
I suppose that was very nice of them.
The immigration officers were all friendly, and I know they are just
doing their job. So yes, it was nice. But it was also not so nice.
Now entering Vietnam had cost me 5.4 times as much as had been
previously indicated. That is an increase of 440%.
On the upside, my year long visa is
multiple entry, so if I decide any time after we leave Vietnam and
before 14 September 2017 that I am just dying for a bowl of phở, I
can come back without paying for another visa. Booyah, right? (Note:
I spelled phở the way it would be spelled in Vietnamese. It is
pronounced foo where the oo is more like the oo in book. Or I learned
that this vowel is like the i in sir.)
Let this be the worst problem one
encounters at immigration when traveling the world. It's done, we've
got visas, and we're safely ensconced in Ho Chi Minh City.
That, by the way, is the English name
for this municipality. In Vietnamese they call it Thành Phố Ho Chi
Minh. Thành Phố means city, so it is the same name. And here, it
should be noted that Phố is pronounced foe with a long o. See the o
with the apostrophe like tag on the right side above is a different
vowel than the o with a hat above it.
What this does mean is that often on
maps, this city is abbreviated as T. P. Ho Chi Minh. But don't
giggle, those of you who are immature. You see, T. P. in the States
might bring up images of bathroom hygiene, but not so here. First,
the Vietnamese phrase for toilet paper is giấy vệ sinh which
doesn't even have a t or a p in it. (Plus it ends in sinh, the
mathematical abbreviation for hyperbolic sine. Pretty great, right?)
But beyond this fact is another. Toilet paper, while available in
South East Asia, is a very western thing. The natives don't use it.
Now, don't say ew. They have a
different method. Every toilet has a flexible hose with a sprayer at
the end, much like you often find connected to kitchen sinks back in
the States. You use this, when you finish, to spray yourself clean. I
assume you then dry off with a towel. I'm not sure. As a Westerner, I
am sticking with my use of giấy vệ sinh. But they seem to
primarily stock it in the stores for selling to Westerners.
Just a few of the differences in our
cultures, and part of the fun adventure of getting to know the world.
After all, you know the saying: Let Saigons be Saigons. 'Cause if
you've a date in Saigon, she'll be waiting in T. P. Ho Chi Minh.
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