Mr. Nui sells affordable yet clean and nutritious soy milk - Photo: TC
Preserve your voice so that your familiar street vendor's cry can resonate in the heart of the city.
Many people have started using loudspeakers to advertise, but quite a few still use their own voices as they did in the old days. They say that using pre-recorded audio to broadcast would make everyone sound the same, so they still use their own voices so that regular customers can recognize them.
Some older regular customers even come out to the sidewalk to buy, "because I recognize the voice of the vendor selling banh gio and banh chung at night; I'm so familiar with him."
The city is experiencing a transition between the dry and rainy seasons. On a sweltering June evening, the sky suddenly darkens, and a heavy downpour begins. Yet, Dam Van Thai, a 50-year-old man from Phu Tho province, still diligently cycles around selling sticky rice cakes and glutinous rice dumplings.
Renting a room in Tan Thoi Hiep ward (Ho Chi Minh City, formerly District 12), he leaves home at dusk to begin his struggle for survival. By 10 PM, he has already traveled more than 10km through familiar streets and alleys, his distinctive Northern accent echoing through the southern city.
"Who wants hot steamed rice cakes and sticky rice dumplings?"
Even from dozens of meters away, you can hear the familiar voice of Mr. Thai, a voice that has become familiar to many regular customers.
"Why don't you use a loudspeaker with a Southern accent to make it more appropriate in here?"
"I did it on purpose. I'm from the North, so I'll speak in my familiar Northern accent. Besides, there are many fellow countrymen here making a living, and they crave a cake just like the ones from their hometown," Mr. Thai replied cheerfully.
Stopping at a small park along Tran Van Giau Street, the man who has been selling cakes on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City for over a decade confided that he has enough accents to sell his wares on the streets, "but most of them are Northern and Southern accents."
The secret to calling out the goods isn't complicated. The voice must be clear so that customers can hear and recognize "a rice cake seller, not a shoe shiner in the middle of the night."
The volume should be loud enough for guests to hear, but not too loud or overly talkative, especially late at night.
"Another little secret is that the sales pitch should be warm and have the seller's distinctive voice to retain regular customers," Mr. Thai said. He shared that he has several friends from his hometown who also sell goods door-to-door; some use voice-activated announcement systems, while others still use their clear, throaty voices.
The man who sells cakes door-to-door every night has an unforgettable memory: after the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, a regular customer, upon hearing his voice, rushed out to buy some and excitedly said, "Oh my God, I'm so happy to hear your voice again. I thought..."
Indeed, during the pandemic, many familiar street vendors' voices disappeared because they contracted the disease and could not recover!
Mr. Vuong raised his children and sent them to school by selling banana tea for over 20 years with his endearing calls - Photo: TC
They advertise it as it is, with simple, straightforward slogans that attract customers.
Nowadays, infrequent buyers don't pay attention, but regular customers can somewhat identify the type of goods from the vendor's calls.
People from the North often sell sticky rice cakes, pork sausage rolls, quail eggs, fertilized duck eggs, stir-fried corn, and boiled corn. People from the South usually sell vegetables and sweet soups like banana and tofu with coconut milk. Those from the Central region often hawk rice crackers, mixed rice paper salad, fermented pork rolls, and keychains...
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang (73 years old, residing in Tan Tao ward, formerly Binh Tan district) jokingly said: "I can guess what the street vendors are selling just by hearing their voices. I don't know if I'm exaggerating, but about 90% of those selling banh chung and banh gio are from the North. It's probably because they have a tradition of making these types of cakes there."
One morning on Le Dinh Can Street (Tan Tao Ward), Mr. Le Van Nui, with his mobile soy milk cart, was blaring his advertisement to attract customers. "Pure, delicious, hot soy milk here!"
The simple, unpretentious sales pitch attracts workers to stop by and buy a glass of plant-based milk for ten thousand dong, providing them with healthy nutrition for a new workday.
Mr. Nui said, "I advertise things as they are; if you're going to make a living, you have to be honest to go the distance." The soy milk is homemade by this 64-year-old man in alley 266 Le Dinh Can, and he pays close attention to hygiene and quality.
"Usually, only poor laborers come to buy a cheap glass of milk, so I have to pay even more attention to quality to ensure their health," Mr. Nui said in a down-to-earth voice.
His voice was like that of a loudspeaker, but he only turned it up to a volume that wouldn't be too loud.
Unlike most street vendors who are immigrants, Mr. Nui is a descendant of District 5, having lived there for generations. After the government cleared the residential area for urban renovation, he moved to Tan Tao and did all sorts of jobs to make a living, including driving a motorized rickshaw when it was still permitted.
He honestly confided, "I'm willing to take on any honest job that allows me to make a living."
There was a time when Mr. Nui used his own voice to sell his wares, but as he got older, he had to use a voice amplifier.
While he was chatting, a few young customers came to buy hot soy milk to go. Both the seller and the customers were friendly because they already knew each other.
In fact, after building a good reputation for selling for a while, many people like him no longer need to use their mobile advertising machines. They just follow their usual routes and stop at places where many people buy, and regular customers come by, most often in suburban areas or around factories and industrial zones.
High-quality street food keeps customers coming back for decades.
In this developed era, people are becoming increasingly meticulous when it comes to shopping, especially food.
"We sell our goods on the street, so our prices are much cheaper than restaurants, but that doesn't mean the quality is inferior or the hygiene is poor. Customers are very picky these days; if we don't meet the standards, we'll lose customers immediately," confided Mr. Vuong, who has been selling banana sweet soup, rice cakes, and pork skin cakes on the street for over 20 years.
Approaching 60 years old, and no longer strong enough to shout out his wares, he uses a mobile vending machine, but only opens it wide enough when stopping in residential areas so as not to disturb others.
"Who wants steamed bananas, grilled bananas, rice cakes, or pork skin cakes?" The vendor's voice, typical of the Southern Vietnamese accents of the female factory workers in the Tan Tao and Pouyuen industrial zones where he often stops to sell his wares, rang out.
"He's so nice, we've been regular customers for over a decade. Just hearing his stall's name makes us crave grilled banana dessert," said Ha Thi Kim, a garment factory worker, happily.
Today, after work, she bought four portions of banana dessert from Mr. Vuong for a total of 60,000 dong. Her mother had just brought her two grandchildren to visit during the summer holidays, so she bought four portions at once. She went to the gate of the industrial park and waited for the familiar call of the vendor for a while before she saw a pot of hot banana dessert, emitting a rich, fragrant aroma of coconut milk...
Many people are now consciously turning down or turning off their speakers when selling goods in residential areas - Photo: TC
Street vendor Tran Thi Thu Ha shared that calling out her wares in her own voice sounds best because no two voices are alike. However, not everyone has enough breath to roam around and shout, especially in busy areas. Many people now use loudspeakers, but they must be polite and not turn them up too loud, especially in alleys or near schools.
"I only turn on the loudspeaker when I'm out selling my goods; I turn it off when I stop selling so as not to disturb anyone. People have already seen me, and if they want to buy, they've already bought," Ha confided.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tieng-rao-than-thuong-giua-pho-100260626095557544.htm
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