Even with the endless array of things to buy in markets, I find that purchasing items in Ho Chi Minh City is incredibly stressful and overwhelming. Vendors have cramped stalls from trying to fit so many products in such a small space. Furthermore, there are always several stalls inches away from each other, all selling the exact same things. I, a consumer, could not understand how anybody could possible choose where to buy what they wanted when that very same thing was being sold by several or more vendors nearby. My curiosity regarding the fierce competition between sellers made me wonder what tactics sellers tended to use to attract customers and the kind of customers that sellers usually approached when trying to make a sale.
I pursued this question further when I visited three different markets in one day: two in the early afternoon and one in the evening. The first market I visited was the Tân Đinh Market. Unfortunately, because I visited this market around nap-time (2 pm), most of the sellers were sleeping outside their stalls or lounging around. The second market (Thi Nghè) I went to was a little busier; the last market I went to was the Night market and it was the busiest. At all the markets, I noticed similar behavior among the vendors. Many people were sitting around whenever there weren’t any buyers. The others either actively approached or called out to everyone, or were selective about who they chose to pursue. Using guilt and pity were common tactics. Most vendors just claimed that business was extremely slow that day and me buying something would help them out a lot.I repeatedly received pleas to help the vendors make a living and support their children. I was guilted into buying a pair of pants I did not want. It is extremely hard to say no when the seller is practically on her knees begging.
Regarding the kind of people vendors usually sought out, being an obvious foreigner or standing even near one will attract a lot of attention. At the Thi Nghè market, whenever I walked with Seth Anderson or Samual Wells, two obvious foreigners, I got called over by sellers more often than I did when I walked alone. Although I can blend in with the locals a lot easier than a Caucasian person, my attire, body language, Vietnamese accent, and overall behavior yells out “foreigner”. For this reason, I noticed I was sought out way more than the average local. This made me wonder what the locals, especially sellers, think about foreigners and their economic statuses. Do the Vietnamese think that all foreigners are wealthy and therefore, peg them as easy targets?
Another thing I found rather frustrating was that if I ever lingered at a stall for more than a couple of seconds, the vendor would practically breathe down my neck until I bought something. That was also another reason why it was so hard to shop around: I was always too hesitant to look at something because of the possibility that I was going to be constantly followed and talked into buying something I did not want to buy. I also found that making eye contact with sellers or even simply smiling gave them an unspoken invitation for them to approach you. I realized pretty early on that it is necessary to appear unfriendly at times to discourage the locals from urging you to purchase their goods. Even saying something like “Không, Cảm ơn”, which translates to “No, thank you”, makes them think you are a nice person who Is easy to take advantage of. So the lesson is to avoid lingering, smiling, making eye contact, and appearing foreign if you want to avoid being forced to purchase something. Vendors are extremely persistent and shameless; once they pull you in, you are trapped.