The motorbike-taxi driver: a rough guide to Vietnam for visi

[totalmotorcycle]

The motorbike-taxi driver: a rough guide to Vietnam for visitors
Thursday, January 4, 2007 - Reported by Van Dinh, My Hieu – Translated by Luu Thi Hong - Thanh Nien News - thanhniennews.com


Despite speaking little English, motorbike-taxi drivers in Vietnam’s central Thua Thien Hue province give foreigners their first peek into local traditions and customs.

Le Hong, who was a pedicab driver for 43 years before becoming a motorbike-taxi driver, said he had to learn English from his sons and grandsons to be able to greet the tourists.

Now, after almost 10 years of dealing with foreigners, he no felt nervous. “In the beginning, all I said to them was ‘hello’.”

“I was ashamed to have to use gestures to tell them the fare.”

Many of his colleagues had to burn the midnight oil after hard days’ toil to learn English.

Twenty-year-old Muoi, a waiter and also a motorbike-taxi driver, is another who can speak English. “Speaking English was at first the hardest thing I had ever done. Now, I love chatting with foreigners,” he said.

Vo Van Dat said he was very happy to show tourists around his hometown. “I do not feel tired when the foreigners seem eager to learn about the people and villages here.”

For a mere VND50,000-100,000 (US$1=VND16,000) per day these motorbike-taxi drivers provide foreigners their first insight into Vietnamese rural traditions and customs.