Even in Hanoi I find money on the street…

HANOI, VIETNAM – Back in the United States I often found coins on the ground… pennies mostly, sometimes a nickel, occasionally a dime or even a quarter. And one time I found a $20 bill. Whoo-Hoo!

Being the frugal person that I am, I’ve always picked up the coins (as long as I could do it safely, that is) – even the pennies that were so banged-up you could barely tell what they were (OK, I admit it; I’m a cheapskate).

So now that we’ve been in Hanoi for a few months I’ve already found money on the ground several times. Of course, it helps that I’m always watching where I step, since the sidewalks and streets are so uneven around many parts of town.

Several weeks ago I found a 200-Dong coin, and later I found a 200-Dong note, neither of which circulate anymore because they’re essentially worthless. Each is worth less than a penny at current exchange rates. But I picked them up anyway. Hey, they’re money!

A few weeks later we were taking our usual walk around the lake near our apartment. Up ahead, partway down the concrete embankment I could see what looked like a couple pieces of currency.

I spotted some currency down near the water

I didn’t give it much notice, thinking it was probably just some of the “spirit money” people burn around the first and 15^th days of the lunar calendar as an offering to their ancestors in the afterlife (see the photo at the top of the page). We often see charred pieces or entire notes that have somehow escaped the flames and ended up on the sidewalk or in the street.

But as we got closer I could see that these were current Vietnamese bills. I first walked past the notes, thinking it would be too risky to try to retrieve them from the water’s edge; I did NOT want to fall into the polluted lake.

“How could I leave money on the ground?”

Then my cheapskate radar kicked in. How could I knowingly leave money lying on the ground?

I turned back and carefully picked my way down the steep embankment. Reaching out as far as my arm would stretch, right to the water’s edge, I managed to recover the two notes – slightly soggy, but real spendable money. A 500-Dong note and a 1,000-Dong note, worth nearly 7 cents between them! I congratulated myself on my find (and I didn’t fall into the water).

Another day, on our way to lunch, I spied a coin as we were crossing the street. I can’t help it, I have to pick them up. Once I got it into my hand I realized that it was a nickel – an American nickel, 5 cents. The only problem is… American change doesn’t circulate in Hanoi. Oh well, at least I’m 5 cents richer now.

I spotted another coin just ahead

Then just today, when Melanie and I were walking back from the market I saw a familiar round shiny spot on the street ahead. Mel spotted it at almost the same time. Sure enough, it was another coin… a one-Euro coin to be exact (worth almost a dollar-and-a-quarter U.S. at current exchange rates).

Now we’re talking real money!

What’s the most money you’ve ever found? Add your comment below.