Culture Shock

Date: Jun 25, 2009

Culture Shock

SeeHarHed · Guru

Anonymous wrote:

As i surfed on http://sienglao.org i've found something under Culture Shock that Laotian should not do with traveler.
She wrote " One thing that is very hard to master is the money! I know all the notes (500, 1000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,0000 Kip) but knowing what these numbers mean is another story. The exchange rate is currenty 8,507 Kip for a dollar, give or take. The trick is that 10,000 is about $1.25. When making a purchase, there is no time to make this calculation, however. I think it is best if I just learn what reasonable prices would be. Also, the Kip is pretty hard to work with as some of the bills look very similar. For instance, Sandra missed out on 8,000 Kip at the currency exchange where the teller gave her a 2000 instead of 10,000 note. At least it was less than a dollar!"
I don't think it's unintensionally mistake!

It is not a culture shock... It is more like bad math..whom can't add/subtract and multiply... Don't go around trying to blame the culture.. freaking dummie!!! It doesn't matter which country you in, you have to know the exchange rate and being able to do simple math in your head..

I just want to point out something... If the exchange rate $1 = 8,507 Kips... 10,000 kips comes out to be $ 1.18 to be exact. I bet you that chick failed 4th grade math!!!!

Date: Jun 25, 2009

Guru, the point is why the teller gave the traveler wrong bank note. The teller lives in Laos, he/she should recognize the Lao bank note very well and she/he should not cheat the foreigner like that. you understand now?

NangDarling · Senior Member

I said intentionally done. because when i was in Lao I purchase two lao skirts that cost about 9000ea. total 18,000. i did not have any small bill but $100 i told the cashier and she said not a problem and she told me the exchange rate. when she returned with my change it was too much for me to count but i know i needed to count my change so i gave my change to other sale person and ask her to counted for me. she did and they sorted me 50,000 kip. go figured.

chiip · Guru

As you all probably know that the lao policy about foreign currency, everyone coming to laos have to change her or his money in lao kip and purchase goods in lao kip, if you want to keep your own currency and be cheated by bad people... it is up to you !

Ganda · Senior Member

chiip wrote:

As you all probably know that the lao policy about foreign currency, everyone coming to laos have to change her or his money in lao kip and purchase goods in lao kip, if you want to keep your own currency and be cheated by bad people... it is up to you !

In Lao im considered a falang because my nationality is not Lao, though my looks is very similar to other Lao women in VNT hence gives me an advantage of buying things from Thalatsao in a more reasonable price than the caucasians. E.g. as long as I keep my mouth shut and let my very good Lao friends to negotiate for me. Anyway, when alone I have no choice and there was a couple of times that I experienced being short-changed as well, not in the bank though. Please dont get me wrong, im not saying that Laotians in general are dishonest. It happens everywhere, so I charged it to experience and just avoid going to shops where I had been cheated.

Speaking about policy on foreign currency, I know my responsibility as falang to change my money to Lao kip, I dont even have a choice since BCEL only issue kips from its ATMs. But what I dont understand is that, now that I have kips I still have difficulty in making purchases because most of the shops' price tags are in Thai baht. As I am honestly poor in math so I always carry a calculator with me whenever Im in another country.

My question is why is the baht very rampantly used every where in Lao when you have your own currency, which is the kip? I have known other foreigners who have similar complain.

You see, if you are running out of time or just have too many things to buy sometimes its confusing making the calculations; changing from one currency to another.

khonthakek · Guru

Ganda wrote:

chiip wrote:

As you all probably know that the lao policy about foreign currency, everyone coming to laos have to change her or his money in lao kip and purchase goods in lao kip, if you want to keep your own currency and be cheated by bad people... it is up to you !

In Lao im considered a falang because my nationality is not Lao, though my looks is very similar to other Lao women in VNT hence gives me an advantage of buying things from Thalatsao in a more reasonable price than the caucasians. E.g. as long as I keep my mouth shut and let my very good Lao friends to negotiate for me. Anyway, when alone I have no choice and there was a couple of times that I experienced being short-changed as well, not in the bank though. Please dont get me wrong, im not saying that Laotians in general are dishonest. It happens everywhere, so I charged it to experience and just avoid going to shops where I had been cheated.

Speaking about policy on foreign currency, I know my responsibility as falang to change my money to Lao kip, I dont even have a choice since BCEL only issue kips from its ATMs. But what I dont understand is that, now that I have kips I still have difficulty in making purchases because most of the shops' price tags are in Thai baht. As I am honestly poor in math so I always carry a calculator with me whenever Im in another country.

My question is why is the baht very rampantly used every where in Lao when you have your own currency, which is the kip? I have known other foreigners who have similar complain.

You see, if you are running out of time or just have too many things to buy sometimes its confusing making the calculations; changing from one currency to another.

Lao Bank slogan is '' Huk nong tong sai ngeun kip'' ( Love me, use lao currency), regarding to your question, i think Lao kip is not valuable or most of Lao people don't bring a lots of Kip to buy the goods that cost very high , Normally Lao people use thai bath and USD , because it's easy to calculate wink , it is fine for us as long as the government allow to use these currencies at the market. i think other lao members can give you very clear asnwer.

Date: Jun 26, 2009

In Lao im considered a falang because my nationality is not Lao...................

wc to laos ganda !
hope you had a good time any time you were there.
a lil off topic is my question, what is your nationality ?
at the pix, you are looking very like lao. anyway you can be any of SEA nationality.
i know a lot of lao ppl, who hole different citizenship, but they still are lao, not falang.

just is off topic.

my2cent

Ganda · Senior Member

Anonymous wrote:

In Lao im considered a falang because my nationality is not Lao...................

wc to laos ganda !
hope you had a good time any time you were there.
a lil off topic is my question, what is your nationality ?
at the pix, you are looking very like lao. anyway you can be any of SEA nationality.
i know a lot of lao ppl, who hole different citizenship, but they still are lao, not falang.

just is off topic.

my2cent

wc to laos ganda !...

THANK YOU my2cent! I did have a very wonderful stay in Laos PDR. Though, sometimes I had my share of misfortunes while there, which had in fact added spice to my experience biggrin

(well it could happen anywhere anyway... and sometimes they happened out of my own stupidity). Generally I enjoyed every bit of my trip.

To answer your question about my nationality, Im a Filipino. I must admit it was hard for me to communicate while in Laos but my expertise in the game "charade" and in sign language enable me to survive and enjoy Laos. biggrin

Plus your people are very accomodating, polite and patient with me... and Im very thankful for that! aww

Ganda · Senior Member

khonthakek wrote:

Lao Bank slogan is '' Huk nong tong sai ngeun kip'' ( Love me, use lao currency), regarding to your question, i think Lao kip is not valuable or most of Lao people don't bring a lots of Kip to buy the goods that cost very high , Normally Lao people use thai bath and USD , because it's easy to calculate, it is fine for us as long as the government allow to use these currencies at the market. i think other lao members can give you very clear asnwer.

What you mentioned here reminds me of the first time I exchange USD for kips. I got my hand full of kips worth millions. Ignoring the value, I never imagined myself holding millions worth of money in my hands before! biggrin I remember thinking that if the value of those money is equivalent to the Peso, then I would be able to buy myself a new 4 bedroom house and a car. wink

Thanks for the explanation by the way!

chiip · Guru

hehe ! common, Ganda, I myself, sometimes confused when taking 20.000 and 50.000 kip notes together... as my sight is not good and the color of both notes are very simillar...I once lost more than 100.000 kip, my God ! how stupid of me ! ! !

Date: Jun 26, 2009

Most Laotians are very kind and honest but SOME. In this case, i am sure that the teller intended to cheat Sandra. Bad guys not only cheat foreigners, they also cheat their own people as well. Go there and experience yourself, don't just read the blog.

Date: Jun 26, 2009

09x6 wrote:

Most Laotians are very kind and honest but SOME. In this case, i am sure that the teller intended to cheat Sandra. Bad guys not only cheat foreigners, they also cheat their own people as well. Go there and experience yourself, don't just read the blog.

If someone is cheated, would you advise to report to Lao authorities? What is the guarantee that they will act on the complaint and what consequences will the cheater face? Is there some sort of penalty?

SeeHarHed · Guru

All I can say to those been short changed. Don't use U.S. $ or Thai Baht while you buying stuffs in Laos. That's just pure and simple. If the kips are confusing you cause of the large amount of zero then I dont know what to tell you. I guess you can go back to gradea school and learn your math. Or continue getting short change..

NangDarling · Senior Member

As you can see we all realized that we got short changed. it's means that the short changers did not get away with the crime. we are just wanted to let other people to be aware of the situations. There is no need for you telling people to go back to grade school. it's makes it sounds like you are still in one.

ban nok · Senior Member

5 5 See Har was just being a little ,,, uhm, abrupt. But the point is you have to learn to think in the foreign currency when in a foreign country.

I change for those big 50,000 kip notes, easy to carry around and only 16 or so to the $100. A lot of things are priced in Baht either for Thai tourists or for regular tourists who can't think in kip.

It's to your advantage to know and understand the different currencies. The only big bill I use is the thousand baht for things costing well over a hundred dollars, motorcyles and houses are baht, the rest are kip.

Another good thing about kip, everyone accepts them everywhere. Try buying some soup way out in the country side with a five dollar bill, LOL.

Date: Jun 27, 2009

Anonymous wrote:
09x6 wrote:

Most Laotians are very kind and honest but SOME. In this case, i am sure that the teller intended to cheat Sandra. Bad guys not only cheat foreigners, they also cheat their own people as well. Go there and experience yourself, don't just read the blog.

If someone is cheated, would you advise to report to Lao authorities? What is the guarantee that they will act on the complaint and what consequences will the cheater face? Is there some sort of penalty?

Why you bother to report to authority, they can only help cleaning your wallet. The best thing to do is keep it as your lesson, dont go near that shop again.

Date: Jun 27, 2009

ban nok wrote:

5 5 See Har was just being a little ,,, uhm, abrupt. But the point is you have to learn to think in the foreign currency when in a foreign country.

I change for those big 50,000 kip notes, easy to carry around and only 16 or so to the $100. A lot of things are priced in Baht either for Thai tourists or for regular tourists who can't think in kip.

It's to your advantage to know and understand the different currencies. The only big bill I use is the thousand baht for things costing well over a hundred dollars, motorcyles and houses are baht, the rest are kip.

Another good thing about kip, everyone accepts them everywhere. Try buying some soup way out in the country side with a five dollar bill, LOL.

Actually Ban nok, many do accept dollar payment, only they will give the change in kips.

Date: Jul 3, 2009

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