A few nights ago I was the latest victim of a motorcycle-drive-by robbery. Or in this case, attempted robbery. This is one of the most common crimes in the tourist district of Saigon.
The backpacker district is where most visitors go to find a hotel, guest house or hostel for their stay (the super rich, of course go downtown so they can check into the Sheraton, Hilton or other luxury hotel). In a tiny area here, there are countless family-owned guest houses with a few hotels and hostels thrown in. If I said 100, I don't think that would be an exaggeration. The backpacker area is consolidated between 2 parallel streets. In the middle is a labyrinth of several alley ways filled with accommodations, food vendors, restaurants and local shops. (All over-priced since this is the tourist area.)
And because there are so many tourists here, it gives perfect opportunity to the moralless individuals who choose to steal from the rich and keep for themselves. Their scheme is simple: put 2 people on a motorcycle, drive around and when they see an unsuspecting tourist with a purse, drive by and snatch it off their arm. They may do this with men as well, but certainly it's more common with women because women always have a purse with them and usually the strap is over the same shoulder which the purse is under. Easy target, easy get-a-way. In a city with a million motos, who's going to catch these little devils? In addition to that, because countless drivers use sidewalks as streets, it's not strange to see a moto on the sidewalk or hear the put-put of the engine come up behind you as you're walking through a park, open area or elsewhere.
And thus the other night, while walking back from a class, I was chosen as Victim #780,322. I was carrying a thin Guatemalan-made "purse" over my body (smaller than what you guys always saw me with). Like always, the strap was over my head, crossing my body - the safest way to wear it. I was walking along the edge of the park, next to a busy street. It was dark though, and as I was passing a large parked garbage truck, I heard a moto some meters ahead. It approached me, I thought nothing of it, but then I felt a hard tug on my body. It happened very quickly, of course, and I only had enough time to scream out, "You asshole!" Which of course didn't matter, because by that time, the moto was gone, much further down the sidewalk and now re-entering the street.
The guy who attempted to rip my purse from my body wasn't successful. He did rip part of the flap (I can get it repaired), and my arm still hurts from where the strap pressed against it, but luckily he didn't take off with it. So the moral of the story is... If travelling or living in Vietnam, make sure you buy a Guatemalan-made purse. Because they're very strong and durable. :)
