Introducing Tina

I met Tina earlier this week as I was walking down the street in Hoi An, an ancient town in central Vietnam. I had just come back from a sunrise tour of My Son, ruins of ancient Hindu temples. Exhausted and desperately in need of sleep after the early morning wake-up, I was winding my way through the central market on my way to the tailor, when I was accosted by a miniature bundle of energy. “Manicure, manicure?” she shrieked, placing herself directly in my path, “manicure, good price!” I politely tried to step out of her way but she was persistent. “Manicure, manicure? No, eyebrows, eyebrows!” Realizing that it was going to be difficult to make my escape and acknowledging the indisputable fact that it had been two months since my last visit to the beautician and that my eyebrows did indeed require some work, I gave in and agreed to be led by the hand to her shop in the corner of the central market, a bustling area near the river, selling anything and everything, and including numerous tailors and shoemakers, an industry for which Hoi An is well known.

Tina’s shop consists of a couch and a souvenirs stand from which she sells numerous items including the typical lacquered products seen throughout Vietnam (bowls made from coconut shells and figurines), scarves and trinkets. From her couch, Tina does everything; manicures, pedicures, even massages, all out in the open and in full view of the many market goers, and all while talking a mile a minute. I let Tina do her best with my unruly eyebrows and enjoyed her company so thoroughly that I agreed to let her pamper me with a manicure and pedicure, bargaining down the price as much as I could against the seasoned barterer that I had as competition.

Tina is a grandmother although she doesn’t look much older than I am. During the two hours I spent on her couch I heard all about her family and her lifestyle, and even joined her for lunch at the end of my pampering session. Because she is the designated breadwinner in the family, her husband stays home and does the cooking, bringing her a hot lunch every day from their home which is not so far away from the market. She invited me to come to her place for dinner the next night, and any other night I was still in Hoi An. I promised to come back the next day, buying some of her souvenirs on my way out and writing an enthusiastic endorsement in both Hebrew and English in her notebook of satisfied customers.

Once she managed to get me into her shop, Tina in no way coerced me into buying anything or doing any other treatments except for the initial eyebrow shaping. We enthusiastically bartered the price for every treatment and purchase and I know I came off the worst for all of it, all the while receiving hugs from the tiny woman, and slaps on the behind when she felt I was being cheeky. To be honest, the prices didn’t matter. While I know I could have done some of the treatments for cheaper at a different place, or managed to bargain down the sellers at the night market more efficiently, the experience with Tina was totally worth the extra few dollars I paid. Tina is warm, genuine, funny, and full of spirit. She is engaging and honest and is just one example of the many friendly Vietnamese people I have met during my last two weeks in Vietnam.

Unfortunately I never made it back to Tina’s shop, and didn’t end up going over to her place for dinner, something that I definitely regret. I do know that if I ever do go back to Hoi An, I will make an effort to find Tina’s couch and to say hello, because a friend like Tina, is a friend worth keeping.