Surviving a shave (Saigon)
What is the Vietnamese word for 差不多？I was just commenting yesterday at an old Asia hand’s post that some experiences in Vietnam remind me of time in China in the early 2000s. Today in Saigon, I walked into a neighbouring hairdresser to get a shave. The girl did not have a razor but that did not stop her. She just unpacked a safety razor blade, wedged the blade between her fingers, and went on to give me a shave.
In 2002, I was at the Indian consulate in Shanghai, renewing my passport, and I realised that I needed a clean shave for a new photo. I ended up in a beauty saloon in the next building. The women there too, made short work of my facial hair with bare fingers and a blade. The girl later told me that I was the first male customer who got a shave from her. In China, people always welcome a chance to make money.
Close shave in Shanghai: https://saigonboy.me/close-shave-in-shanghai