Saturday, December 17, 2011

Traffic police and funny bans

A  traffic policeman in Hanoi was hit while
attempting to stop a car in July
Dear readers,
This week, we once again discuss a topic that you may see in everyday stories on TuoiTreNews: traffic police.
Last week, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department issued a rule prohibiting officers in the traffic police force from carrying more than VND 100,000 (US$4.7) while on duty. These regulations are aimed at strengthening supervision by heads of police units over their staff while forming a framework for handling cases in which traffic police officers allegedly take bribes from traffic violators.
Joey Pham wonders if this initiative will really reduce corruption among traffic police.
“The right to own money and to carry cash is a fundamental right of a citizen. The excuse that the restriction is to reduce corruption for me is not strong enough. I can always argue back that such a rule will encourage corruption because having little money on them, officers will have more motive to accept ‘dirty’ money,” reasoned Joey.
This is not the first time Vietnamese police have received such a bizarre ban. Previously they were not allowed to hide behind trees or electricity poles, wear sunglasses or masks, smoke, read books and put their hands into pockets when dealing with traffic-violation cases.
Besides, they also stand a chance of being punished if they stop drivers without issuing tickets. On the other hand, police need to be wary as they may get attacked by thugs, by a young woman or even by their own colleague! Indeed, it is not easy to be a traffic police officer in Vietnam, is it?
As Tim Russell compared Singapore and Vietnam last week, Briton James Allen continued to make an interesting comparison of customer service in London and Ho Chi Minh City. Being used to frosty service in England, James found it quite a shock to receive a smile from a Vietnamese staff during his first days in Ho Chi Minh City.
“Still in England mode, I picked what I needed, put it on the counter and waited for the gruff response that was sure to come. Instead I received my change with a smile and a thank you. Before coming to Vietnam I had heard from many people that Asian hospitality differed somewhat to the UK, but the warmth of the smile, in spite of the late hour and the banality of my purchase was quite a shock,” recalled James.
But grass on the other hill is not always greener and James gradually realized some negative points in this service with a smile. He felt uneasy to be followed every time he entered a shop in Ho Chi Minh City and frustrated when he was not informed that the dish he ordered was not available any more.
“What is more likely is that it is a simple case of culture clash, it does seem that in Vietnam, a smile can compensate for any kind of incident, even those as serious as a bike crash, the same cannot be said for where I’m from. [..] I’ve learned that when it comes to surviving a baffling customer service experience in Vietnam, it pays to leave your expectations at the door, be as direct as possible and take every smile with a pinch of salt,” concluded James.
Despite many cons in Vietnamese customer service, we hope you will not stop exploring more new places where you live.
In response to our challenge to discover the neighborhood last week, Chad Kub from America got out of his house and tried several wrap dishes like banh khot, nem chao or oc buou nhoi thit on Ho Chi Minh City streets.
“Some of the best things about Vietnamese food are the freshness, and the lightness of the dishes. There is no better example of this than the dishes that you get to wrap up with leaves. These dishes usually consist of fatty or fried main item beautiful balanced by crisp fresh lettuce and a slightly citrusy or sour sauce that cuts through the heaviness,” wrote Chad.
As a chef and a tour guide himself, Chad wrote about these delicious street foods with his very true feelings and informative details which may help you understand better about Vietnamese foods. Don’t forget to take a look if you haven’t.
That’s it! Let’s ‘wrap up’ this week’s editorial by this cuisine story.
Just a little reminder to you, our readers, that the festive season is drawing near and we are looking for stories and pictures related to Christmas celebration in Vietnam. It can be your preparations for this year’s Christmas Eve, memorable experiences of your last Christmas, dishes you will make for family on this special day. Feel free to drop us an email with your writing and photos at expat@tuoitre.com.vn.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Source: tuoitrenews.vn

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