"Beware of Women Carrying Fruit!!" Street sellers Tip by AKtravelers

As you travel through Vietnam, you'll definitely notice women carrying produce using an apparatus that looks like the scales of justice -- a long wooden pole across the shoulders dangling two trays loaded with (hopefully) equally weighted bundles. THis was a common sight in rural areas and not uncommon in downtown Hanoi -- and most of these people just want to carry their load to its destination and be done with it!!
However, we encountered a few women near Ho Kiem Lake who were carrying the poles just for show. Once they saw a westerner, the rushed forward, dressing him with a hat and carrying apparatus and demanding a money-for-photo exchange. This happened several times, resulting in me getting pushed by an old woman once. Finally, Phil relented and I got this picture -- for 50,000 dong!! Almost 4 dollars!!