Satire by Joe Fotalattee
“It’s the principle!”, shouted Chip Sharts, 47, as he posted about being overcharged 2,000VND in the Facebook Expat group. Tinh Quyen had made Sharts a 15k sugar cane juice on Friday in Tan Dinh district. Sharts says she normally charges 12K for the large cup and figures that she suspected he wouldn’t know any better.
Sharts in an exclusive to The Beat, said, “I just moved in next door and signed a two-year lease. I live here and drink sugarcane twice a day. Now, I have to pass this lady every day and get my sugarcane around the block.” He was considering a police report over the eight cents but doesn’t know how to because he doesn’t speak the local language after 15 years of living in Saigon.
Sharts remained baffled, “That’s over seven million VND she won’t get from me the next two years, I just don’t get it.” His salary at an international school for four days a week is 30x that of Quyen who has been working from 6 am-11 pm seven days a week for the past 12 years. Quyen told The Beat she would return the eight cents difference if given the chance, but “had already invested it in BitCoin.”
Sharts doesn’t hold it against her and says he is understanding the difference between cultures. “I consider myself multicultural and completely understand where those people are coming from, and accept that they have an overall general culture of dishonesty.”
When asked what his local wife thought of the ordeal, he stated he didn’t know where she was right now. “I think she is visiting her grandma at the hospital.”
Exclusive update and correction: undercover investigative reporters from The Beat patronized the Nuoc Mia stand, and indeed the price is now 15k for a large. Quyen said she raised the price of 2kVND for the first time in 12 years because her rent had gone up 500 USD per month. She said she will switch to selling Coke products to increase profits.