As would be expected in a developing nation like Vietnam, beggars would be found everywhere tourists would be. This very old lady had a small, small boat that she had rowed up to the dock at the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue. From here she could solicit all the tourists arriving on the brightly colored dragon boats like the one in the background.
Beggars in Vietnam seemed more genuinely destitute than the equivalent homeless street person in the United States. They tended to be very old or suffered from some sort of severe disfigurement. They were also more persistent than American panhandlers.
Overall, the number of beggars we encountered was smaller than we had anticipated, but that didn't make their presence any less heart wrenching or pity inducing.
No comments:
Post a Comment