My Vietnam Experience Part 2
(If you haven’t read My Vietnam Experience Part 1, please start there!)
The most fabulous experience I had in Vietnam was this … Ava needed a haircut. Badly. As we were walking back to the hotel, she spotted an upstairs salon that looked nice and said,
“Let’s get me a haircut!”
“Here? In Vietnam?”
“Why not?”
Why not, indeed. We saw the shoes at the bottom of the stairs, so we left ours there too, on the side of a very busy sidewalk, and walked up into the salon. After 15 minutes, with all of us on our translate apps (not many people speak English in Hai Phong), we were able to communicate that Ava wanted 5cm cut off, straight across the bottom. Her shampoo/head massage lasted, literally, 30-40 minutes; I thought about getting one for myself!
Two people to blow-dry; notice her bare feet:)
After we had been there for a while (remember the 40 minute shampoo??), the boys became braver, and the flirting started; app translated: “Do you think my friend is handsome?” Look at their faces and the body language–they were adorable.
Below, the boys with their boss–the boss cut Ava’s hair, while the boys assisted in various tasks and kept coming out to look at the American spectacle. The BEST part of the entire experience was when Ava stood up from the chair, they all GASPED! Ava’s 5’10” and was the tallest of them all. The tallest boy actually went to measure himself against her–same height. Their shock was hilarious!
Side note: I wanted to buy Ava a good hairbrush, and they obviously didn’t sell them, so I asked (through the app) where we could buy one. Through the app, one of the boys (seriously–couldn’t have been older than 16!) offered to drive me to get one. I am 99.9999999999% certain that his vehicle was a moped.
*M-O-P-E-D*
Some time, google videos of what traffic and driving is like in Vietnam, and you’ll see what kind of “opportunity” I passed up!
And finally, all of this fantastic-ness, including generous tips for everyone, cost us USD$10.31. Thank you, Sau Hair Salon!
I say this over and over and over: Traveling is ALL about the people you meet!
Come Explore Vietnam with me in 2022! To view the incredible itinerary, click the button below and be transported!
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