Pagoda Money

We're having fun with our guides and especially like it if they show some insight into Vietnamese culture and thinking. "Pagoda Money" is an example.



Vietnam is packed with temples/pagodas. Locals go to these to worship, pray and make offerings, lots of them. The offerings include cash, to make luck happen (or even have a bad neighbor get sick, or worse.)



Vietnam is also a communist country with one party and party/government officials in all key positions. There's a lot of corruption, with bribes going to officials to avoid fines, get into a better school, buy a house and more.



These bribes are referred to as Pagoda Money :-)