Made in Vietnam
December 15th, 2005 @ 6:15 pm“Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves; vanity, to what we would have others think of us.”
-Jane Austen
For the past four months, every time I hop on the #2 bus to get to Pho Co (the Old Quarter, where the center of town is), I pass by Van Mieu, the Temple of Literature. Across the street from Van Mieu is this shop:
This shop’s association to a country as random as Canada is interesting by itself, but it holds a special place in my heart. Canada is where most of my cousins live. In fact, one cousin will be getting married in the summer. That, of course means, I need something to wear. Gerard, the EAP director, introduced many of the guys to a tailor named Vinh, a personal friend of his. For a cool 2.1 million dong (about $140 U.S.), I am now ready for the wedding with these three outfits:
The sunglasses are from Nha Trang.
When I said I wanted a white suit, Vinh wanted to make it out of wool. Gerard, however, thought that was too Saturday Night Fever. We ended up making it made of linen. Linh Chi, a friend, said as long as I don’t wear both the white pants and white jacket at the same time, it’ll look great. I have no idea what she’s talking about. The suit is hot.
Material for the ao dai was actually bought in Saigon. However, when I showed Vinh the material, he said it was horrible quality. He proceeded to sell my cloth and bought a better one for me. It also convinced him that he should choose the material for the two suits as well.
Of course, having clothes personally hand-tailored is quite expensive, so it is much easier to buy ready-made clothes at any market or shop:
The Hmong people from Sapa still wear their traditional clothing, and they sell them to tourists as well. The largest ethnic group in Vietnam, the Kinh (AKA the “Vietnamese” people), have also set up shop in Sapa to sell the same clothes at higher prices. However, since their shops appeal much more to tourists than a wandering Hmong woman with a basket of clothes, they end up making much more money off Hmong clothing than the Hmong people themselves.
I made sure I bought my shirt, pants, vest, and bag from a Hmong person. The smaller bag in my right hand is actually Zhao in origin.
Hmong people actually still use dye to color their clothing. It means that the first time you wash Hmong clothes, a lot of dye will suddenly appear, as seen below. Soaking Hmong clothing in salt or vinegar water helps get rid of all the dye.
In the picture above, the blanket in the background is from the Flower Hmong, a subgroup of this ethnic minority. I believe my Hmong clothing are all from the dominant Black Hmong subgroup who live in Sapa.
The coat is from Da Lat.
The shirt is from Saigon.
The fake LV scarf is from an alleyway in Hanoi.
As Vietnam opens up itself to the world market, one can certainly expect more ready-made clothes to be widely available and affordable to the Vietnamese population. In fact, the U.S. embassy here in Vietnam focuses some of its attention in trying to allow such American companies like Nike and Adidas to do business here. More jobs are created, the standard of living is raised, and some Vietnamese businessmen might start making profits.
But capitalism is a double-edged sword. There are always winners, which means there are always losers. The tailoring business, for example, is full of specialties. People are needed to acquire and sell different types of fabrics. Others specialize in sewing, while people like Vinh are really good at cutting and folding. All of these jobs are threatened when big name companies like Nike come in and sell mass produced products at prices that owners like Vinh cannot possibly compete against.
Vietnam’s future is exceedingly bright. Its economy is becoming more and more high-profile, and cities like Hanoi are furiously constructing newer bridges, bigger government buildings, and nicer apartment complexes. I do not believe I will recognize this city in a few years. As the government transitions from a command economy to a more free market one, there will be great opportunities for everyone overall. But we should not forget about those who fall between the cracks, those who no longer have that safety net that provides healthcare, jobs, and state co-opts. Gaps between the rich and poor will exist that did not exist before. It is definitely something to remember as Vietnam transitions into its bright future.
It is this transition that makes Vietnam such an exciting place to tour, and an even more exciting place to live for four months.
Da Nang shirt (20,000 dong)
Tiger Beer Cap (20,000 dong)
Daisy Duke shorts (20,000 dong)
Sandals (100,000 dong) (So I was having a bad shopping day that day)
Getting the perfect picture (20,000 dong) (Hey, you gotta pay the xe om driver.)
December 15th, 2005 at 11:16 pm
http://kim_anhphamyahoo.com
Michael.
I hope you’re not a groom. Until you come home and finish school.
But you can take me dancing any time with those outfits. See you sunday son.
Love you
Me
December 15th, 2005 at 11:23 pm
I have to agree with you that you look really cool in that white suit. For some reasons, it reminds me of a HongKong movie star from a movie which I don’t quite remember the name (maybe Tony Leung from Cyclo’s or something similar). Oh well, on the other hand, the last photo of you is not falling into the same category as mentioned above, ’cause it also reminds me of the Cyclo driver from the same movie ….
How ironic that is of the very superficial opinion for the same person in different outfits! It’s all about the looks, don’t you think? Lucky me because I know that the model posing in the photos is still the same, my favorite Tan, no matter what…
December 15th, 2005 at 11:38 pm
i dunno about everyone else but the tourist one is my favorite hahahaha
December 15th, 2005 at 11:41 pm
Boy oh boy.
Who should we be looking for this Sunday at the aiport? John Travolta, Richard Geere or Tom Cruise?
Look good son. If you are trying to leave a lasting impression with local girls, you are doing a good job. Especially in the last outfit
December 16th, 2005 at 1:10 am
Hello
I am so glad I found you again. For the past 2 weeks, I kept on clicking for your site several times a day but to no avail. All I got was this photo of a white man
sitting at the Ticket Check Desk staring at me. I wondered if there were any hidden meanings behind the wording, a message.
This morning your Mom emailed me asking why she had not seen my comments lately, I responded I could not access your postings, all I got was the white man for the past couple of weeks.
I started to wonder again as to why Mom could get in and I couldn’t (even though I had gone and clicked on your site a few times when I got to the office, before Mom’s email). I clicked one more, got the same man; I stared at him again and it donned on me that I had never clicked him
I then pointed the mouse at his face and doubel clicked -> Here I am again 
Read all the entries I have missed since Harry Portter.
Gald to see all the photos - What a Model ?
Enjoy the rest of the last few days.
Have a safe trip home.
Home Sweet Home
Memories remain.
With Love and Regards
ps: Thanks to Mom’s question this morning.
December 16th, 2005 at 5:39 am
Hey there !What is up with the James Bond thing in the first picture?Nice outfits!I agree with your dad ,who do we meet next Tom Cruise?
December 16th, 2005 at 5:45 am
Oh yeah I agree with sarlacc pit!
Safe trip home!
December 16th, 2005 at 7:44 am
http://ayaitstina.com
omg… these pictures are worth a MILLION bucks! i find them rather hilarious! now go get Tin some suits before u head home. =P thanks for the entertaining pix. at least now u’ll be stylin.
my aunts and uncles (i guess my sister as well) bought some incredibly hideous clothing from VN that i wouldn’t be caught dead in. looks like u have better taste. =) now do u have room to bring all that back to the states?
December 16th, 2005 at 2:22 pm
http://ragmus.com
sorry about that PC, hahaha. i guess i should have written somewhere ‘click to enter’.
spiffy clothes, tan. please dont wear your tourist outfit when i take you out to lunch…
December 17th, 2005 at 12:09 pm
HAHAHA…..HAHAHA! thanks, tan! =D have a safe trip and have a merry Christmas too! =)
March 31st, 2006 at 10:38 am
http://tansugly.com
that’s funny how you’re modeling in all the shots. whos your photographer haha. VTNM? viet nam’s next top model? you are FIERCE girl
April 15th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
http://www.lol101.com
These are all nice guys picture he si very very handsome guys wish he all the best.
July 6th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
http://sandals-flipflops.com/adidas-sandals/
http://sandals-flipflops.com/adidas-sandals/
Great pictures you got here, like you are a fashion model or something. And Saigon is really a cheap city. I wonder if they still have such a low prices.Except sandals though
September 15th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
http://www.jagadgurusiddhaswarupananda.com
Lol! I love the pics. And thanks for sharing your experiences in Vietnam. I enjoyed reading through them- months after your having written them
January 28th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
http://www.pegkehret.com/
OMG those are worth a million bucks…man, when I read that book about ginger trying to find herself, she should have gone to vietnam! Hehe that science of identity foundation book by Peg Kehret about Ginger would have been a million times better dressed up in Vietnam! Thanks hehe
February 6th, 2009 at 10:15 am
http://apalm.se
Hot stuff, maybe time for me to get an Ao Dai as well.