Kiet, whose brother escaped the country in 1987
Chevrolet Spark. 58 minutes. 8.5 km.

Kiet (not his real name) is a 48 years old driver who has driven a taxi for twenty four years. We were stuck in horrendous traffic going from the airport back to my flat, and he told me his life story, from his attempt to escape the country in the years that my family did, to his time in the army. He is easily excitable, emphatic with his gestures, a rapid conversationalist. I honestly couldn’t follow all that he said.

Below is a bit of Kiet’s story that I’ve composed as well as I can from memory:

S

o you, little brother, left the country in 86? Me too, I tried to leave multiple times.  My little brother and I tried to escape together, then I kept trying on my own after he made it.

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V
inh is about my age, (which meant that both of us awkwardly called each other “older brother” for the duration of the chat) with an 8 year old kid and a family to raise. I took a twenty five minutes long ride to the airport in his Honda City. It was early in the morning and he had driven since 5 AM. He drives daily until late at night, but was glad to chat with me.

How long have you driven an uber Anh?

14 years.

Oh that’s longer than how long I’ve taught. I’ve taught for 12 years.

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Read an earlier posting on uber driver conversations here.

Sang drove me from district 4 to district 2, a total distance of 8.3 km. He drove a Yamaha Exciter 150, and he had a real helmet for me to wear (this is not always the case for motorbike drivers in Saigon. My anecdotal experience is it’s been about 50, 50 for getting a real helmet vs. fake). The conversation is translated from Vietnamese to English to the best of my admittedly limited ability.

Cost: 37,000 VND. 1.5 USD.
Time: 20 minutes. half of it in tough traffic.
Rated: 5/5 for the conversation, timely pickup, smooth ride, sense of direction.

How long have you driven a motorbike for a living, em (little brother)?

Just one month now, anh (older brother).

And you do this full time?

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