Thao Ly sells books in Ho Chi Minh City.
Thao Ly
Thao Ly carries her books to sell where the tourists will find her.
Thao Ly props the tower of books against her hip while on Vietnam's Pham Ngu Lao street.
CloseThao Ly, age 15, is hunched over a table counting coins at her booth in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh CityLocated in the southeastern region of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City is named after the Vietnamese revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, who later became the country's prime minister and then president.
The city's official name is now Thành pho Ho Chí Minh (Thành pho means "city"). The city center is located on the banks of the Saigon River, 37 miles away from the South China Sea.
CloseHo Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam.
VietnamIt is officially named the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The country is about 128,000 square miles in area consisting mostly of hills and forested mountains.
Vietnam's the 13th most populous country in the world with a population of more than 85 million.
CloseHer hair's tied up in a ponytail and a bundle of books lie at her feet. "I am not sure how much money I earn today," she says in broken English.
Then she begins to tell her story:
Every day's a work day
At about ten every morning Thao Ly stacks 30 books one on top of another. She binds them together with a long elastic string.
She makes sure the string is tight and balances the tower of books on her hip. This trick keeps them from falling when she does her rounds in the backpacker's quarter in Ho Chi Minh City.
Backpacker's QuarterThe backpackers were college students from Japan and Korea, who arrived in Vietnam in the late 80's, just to see what Vietnam was like.
They got their name from their mode of travel: they carried what they needed for several months on their backs.
Saigon created a backpacker's quarter in 1995. This section of Saigon contains cheap hotels (US $3-$10 per day)—and is made up of three narrow streets: Bui Vien, De Tham and Pham Ngu Lao.
CloseThao Ly stopped going to school when she was four-years old. Instead she chose to sell books in this location because she thinks tourists are "the best customers."
Tourists are the Best Customers
Try this calculator to find out today's exchange rate.Close
This is true—the exchange rate and the lower standard of living in Vietnam make things economical for tourists.
The exchange rate is the rate at which you can convert one nation's currency into another (also called "foreign exchange rate").
One of many
Tourists visit the shophouses along the Huong River.
Shophouses Along the Huong River
Tran Hung Dao Road is a quaint street where you'll find all kinds of things for sale.
Residents call the shops on Tran Hung Dao road along the Huong River "shophouses" because they're where local Vietnamese live and do business.
Sellers display all sorts of objects on the pavement of Tran Hung Dao Road. Many of these products, ranging from old coins to pottery, were found on the banks of the Huong River.
CloseThao Ly is just one of many different kinds of peddlers who frequent the backpacker's quarter.
Many Different PeddlersVietnamese wearing straw hats push carts holding with freshly rolled spring rolls made with rice paper, mint leaves and fresh prawns.
Farmers shoulder baskets attached to bamboo poles. Their baskets are often full of red dates and vegetables—produce from their farms in the countryside.
Occasionally peddlers persuade tourists to buy a bunch of flowers, a packet of tissue or handmade souvenirs.
"That is their trick," says Thao Ly, explaining why peddlers sometimes bring their children along. "They make people feel sorry for them. Everyone has their own trick."
CloseIt's a maze of small hotels, guest houses, restaurants, money changers, travel agents, roadside restaurants and bars.
Thao Ly has made friends while working.
One of her friends, Tuyen Thao, 16, walks past and joins the conversation.
She has peddled books in the area for the past decade. To avoid approaching the same customers, she explains, the peddlers divide the area among themselves.
But this does not mean the friends do not meet each other. They take short breaks at street corners to share the latest gossip or brainstorm a new sales tactic...
