Heart Stopping Memories of Ho Chi Minh

Monday and Tuesday flew by and before we knew it we were heading for the airport on Tuesday evening!  Both mornings we were up early to get ready and eat breakfast before taking a 40 minute taxi ride from District 5 to District 2 where our course was held.  The International School of Ho Chi Minh City is situated in a very wealthy area and is a lovely campus.  We met some interesting folks who teach IGCSE Coordinated Science during our two days and learned lots of practical strategies, tips, and tricks from our wonderful presenter.  All-in-all, the course alone was worth the trip to Vietnam!


When our class ended on Monday we made a trip back to both tailors to see how our garments were shaping up.  At our first stop we found that my dress was looking pretty good, but the same couldn't be said for Ruth's trousers.  The seamstress had successfully made one pair of pants, but somehow misjudged the amount of material required for the second pair and came up short by the equivalent of an entire leg!  After a great deal of haggling, Ruth convinced the woman working in the shop to send the tailor back to the market to get more of the fabric that they had already cut to finish the trousers.  Amazing enough, they agreed.  We then rushed off to the second shop to see how the silk dresses that Steph and I were having custom made were shaping up.  Mine was too small and Steph's wasn't finished.  Not exactly the outcome we were hoping for.  


Already frustrated, tired, and hungry we left the shop to look for a taxi back to the hotel.  Until this point we had been careful to take only VinaSun taxis (a reputable taxi firm) and had absolutely no problems.  Tonight we spotted a taxi van with a logo from the same company the school had called for us and decided to go for it.  There were three men standing outside the taxi and when we caught their attention they waved us over.  We presented the driver with the hotel address and asked for the meter to be turned on (if you don't ask for the meter to be used you are at the mercy of the taxi driver to determine a price for you).  From the get-go things didn't feel right.  Our driver was taking his sweet time to get going and stopped a couple of times near the market to converse with other drivers and get cash from someone.  Finally we were off.  A few minutes into the ride Stephanie commented that the meter had just tripled when we hit a distance mark.  We had all seen the driver flip something on top of the meter when we got in, but didn't really think much of it.  Since the meter was turned away from Ruth, she couldn't really see what was happening but we had a clear view from the back seat.  We continued to watch the meter roll up and up to the point where the cost was more than double what the taxi ride should have cost us...and we were only halfway back to the hotel.  For most of the ride I didn't recognize the businesses and landmarks around me, so I felt a bit more at ease when I started seeing some of Chinatown's more distinctive features appear.  We all agreed that the best way to handle the situation was for all of us to get out of the taxi in front of the hotel where we would pay a fair rate for the taxi ride.  We knew the bellman would back us up and provide assistance if needed.  Unfortunately this plan was thwarted when our driver refused to take us to the drop off spot in front of the hotel.  Ruth asked him to pull over to which he responded by screaming in her face.  Not a good sign!  We were rolling up near the shopping center and all I could think to do was bail out at the first chance we got.  As we slowed, I tried the door handle and we quickly discovered that the doors and windows of the cab were locked.  This was an "Oh crap!" moment if ever there was one.  My survival instincts kicked in immediately and I yelled to Steph, "Bang on the windows and scream as loud as you can!  Someone has to hear us!".  That is EXACTLY what we did.  I pounded on that window with my fists and screamed "LET US OUT!"  Apparently the driver got the idea because we finally came to a stop and suddenly I could open the door.  I jumped out as fast as I could and all I could think was that I needed to find help NOW!  Steph and Ruth quickly followed and we loudly instructed our driver to meet us in front of the hotel if he wanted to get paid.  He got out of the taxi (another Oh Crap moment) and screamed, "Pay me!".  At that point, the flight mechanism kicked in for all three of us and we ran toward our hotel.  When we reached the lobby we were all visibly shaken and I could feel my heart pounding uncontrollably.  Although we were probably not in any imminent danger, it was certainly a harrowing experience that could have turned bad very quickly, especially if any one of us had been going through this experience alone.  After we calmed down and ordered dinner we discussed the silent plans each of us had formed if the taxi driver had not let us out of the taxi.  I had conjured up images of using my laptop to break out a window, or better yet to hit the taxi driver over the head if the need arose.  Ruth had planned to have Steph and I grab the driver from the back and try to distract/restrain him while she grabbed the keys.  Other very extreme ideas surfaced and thankfully we were able to have a good laugh.  We also contemplated the possibility of being arrested and getting to visit a Vietnamese prison had we actually brought harm to the taxi driver in our attempt to escape (picture the Thai prison in the second installment of Bridget Jones' Diary).  Thank goodness that God was watching over us and none of our worst fears were realized.  Needless to say, we took VinaSun taxis for the remainder of our stay.


We rushed out of class a bit early on Tuesday afternoon and picked up our garments before sitting down for a fantastic dinner at an Italian restaurant near the tailor shop.  The food was terrific--fresh and home-made (you could see people making pasta by hand when you walked by the kitchen)--and we met a lovely Italian man who made some amazing dessert recommendations.  Hearing Italian spoken in Ho Chi Minh City was pretty fun, especially since I was planning to start my online class when I got back to Seoul.

Our dresses!

The only thing left to do before we left Vietnam was to pick up our luggage, grab a quick shower, and make our way to the airport (yes, a final cab ride).  Our flight left around midnight so we had a few extra hours to spend shopping in the airport before we departed for Seoul.  We arrived in Korea around 7am and by the time we made it back to the SFS campus the only thing I could think to do was call my parents and go to bed!  Surprisingly, my dad laughed when I shared the taxi story and my students have taken great joy in telling people that their teacher was "kidnapped" by a taxi driver in Ho Chi Minh despite my best efforts to remind them that I did make it safely out of the taxi.  


I'm now thoroughly recovered from the trip to Ho Chi Minh and I returned having learned a great deal more about traveling and about myself.  I am glad I had the opportunity to take this trip with Ruth and Stephanie, but I'm quite satisfied to explore other destinations around Asia outside of Vietnam in the future.  I realized how easy it is to take what you have for granted and I was very thankful to get into a taxi in Seoul and feel confident that I would make it safely to my destination.  I was also very happy to see drivers obeying traffic rules!  My life in Seoul, and the States, is monumentally easy compared to the lives of people who live in developing nations and I know that I am truly blessed to be where I am!