1000 Vietnamese Dong

We arrived in Hanoi in the early morning as everyone was heading off to work.

We are staying in another hotel in Hanoi, outside of the really touristy area, which allowed us to see some more of real Vietnam. We walked down a street where people were preparing various kinds of meat for the day.

Here is a picture of some pigs feet, beef pieces, chickens and ducks:

Here are some frogs for eating, with bows so they can't jump away:

In the afternoon we went for a massage at a place called "Just Massage" which self describes as "a social enterprise that provides youths who are visually impaired and from difficult economic background with vocational training and supports them to attain sustainable employment." I got a really good 75 minute foot and leg massage.

I tried to pay for lunch with a 1000 VND note but the corner was folded so the clerk wouldn't take it. I unfolded the corner but she still wanted another bill. When she gave me my change one of the 20,000 notes had been ripped and then taped back together so I of course rejected it from her to both be smart and in fear that no one would take that from me. After our massages I tried to give the local bus driver the note but he again rejected it. "Maybe it's an old bill", I told Janelle. "Passing on rubbish money to tourists who don't know any better!" I was determined to slip this bill to someone and get rid of it. We then went to a pharmacy to buy some deodorant (I haven't yet given up on wearing that), I tried again to pay with that note and was again rejected. The woman at the pharmacy could speak English and informed me that no one was taking that from me because it was from Laos not Vietnam. Sometimes I'm pretty dumb.

For dinner we went to a place called Hoa Sua Restaurant. "Hoa Sua School for Disadvantaged Youth has always tried to maintain and develop its objective as 'participating in the poverty reduction effort in Viet Nam through vocational training and employment generation for disadvantaged and disabled youth'." The young people that work there were really friendly and helpful and we had really great meals. We leave tomorrow on an early morning flight to Nha Trang in Southern Vietnam.