Letters from Indochina (Part 33)

This entry is part 33 of 40 in the series Letters from Indochina

May 2, 2025

Letters from Indochina (Part 33)

By Simon J. Lau

After wrapping up my motorcycle ride through Ha Giang, I caught a bus back to Hanoi and arrived late last night. I was only in town for a day before heading to Laos, but I’ll be back — and when I am, I’ll finally give Hanoi a proper introduction. For now, I just wanted to share a story that’s equal parts sad and unintentionally funny.

As much as I love Vietnam, there’s no ignoring how bad customer service can be here. But this morning was comically bad. I visited a well-known, Michelin-featured bun cha spot (name withheld to deny them any SEO boost — but they’ll be aggressively photographed). When I arrived, all the tables downstairs were taken, but a host waved me over and said, “You can sit upstairs! We have space.” Sounded promising.

As I walked up, another server suddenly stopped me and demanded that I sit downstairs at a shared table instead. Fine — I’d already committed.

After I placed my order and got my food, yet another staff member walked by shouting “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” as she flung open a fridge door right next to me, smacking my arm in the process. It’s cramped — I get it.

Then, as the people next to me finished their meal and left, a staffer started bussing their half of the table. In doing so, they managed to flick leftovers onto my plate of vegetables. At that point, I decided I’d had enough fibers for breakfast.

After I paid and started putting the change away, the waitress began poking through the bills in my wallet — as if double-checking her own math. It was bizarre, even by local standards.

The only redeeming qualities: the food was surprisingly cheap for a Michelin-featured place, and the portion size was massive. But the food itself was just okay — and the service was so bad, it was laughable. The irony wasn’t lost on me: a restaurant rated so highly could deliver such dismal service. But that’s just how things are done in Vietnam — chaotic and unapologetic, but somehow still endearing.

I arrived in Laos this evening — the third and final country I’m visiting on my Indochina tour. They say things move slower here, and it’s true — the traffic crawls, the vendors linger, and no one seems in a rush to get anywhere. These are just first impressions, but for now, I’m just happy to be here.