Welcome back, dear readers, to The Hanoi Times' Words on the Street after the Lunar New Year holiday of 2025.

Tet is a much-needed break for us to reunite with our families and create cherished memories together. But for some, Tet might be a time they'd rather forget because of some unsavory incidents. Today we bring you a story that is both hilarious and exasperating - a cautionary tale about how a careless joke can come back to bite you.

Three bowls of bun rieu (hot vermicelli soup with rice field crab) are worth VND1.2 million (US$47)?

Yes, you read that right. That's how much a family was charged for three bowls of bun rieu at a street stall on Bach Mai Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, on the night of the first day of Tet (January 29).

That's VND400,000 ($16) per bowl! About one-twelfth of the average Vietnamese monthly salary.

Even taking into account the usual holiday price markups, this was outrageously expensive. A regular cup of coffee, which normally costs VND40,000 ($1.6), or any food, drink or service could double in price during Tet. But this? This was something else entirely.

When the story went viral on the Internet, local authorities quickly took action and shut down the eatery.

The customer claimed that after hearing the exorbitant price, they asked the owner to make sure they were not mistaken. Upon getting no response, they went ahead and transferred VND1.2 million ($47), only to later expose the incident online.

The owner of the establishment insisted that it was all just a joke or a prank. He claimed that he made the same playful remark to all of his customers, but somehow only this particular one took it seriously and paid the full amount.

He argued that his family had run the business for over 30 years and would never risk their livelihood for a few extra dong. Even with the Tet price spikes, he claimed that the costs could never have been that high.

But his biggest mistake was this: instead of immediately checking his bank statement when the controversy erupted online, he and his family chose to argue with the customer. Only after the customer showed him the receipt did he admit his mistake and apologize.

Then who's really to blame?

The eatery owner may have a point. His business had operated for decades without similar complaints. Neighbors vouched that his prices had always been reasonable and that he often joked about pricing without provoking an incident.

Still, I can't help but wonder about the customer's reaction. If someone offered me such an absurd price, I wouldn't just accept it without protest. If I was charged even VND100,000 ($4) for a bowl of pho (noodles with beef or chicken) on the first day of Tet, I'd certainly make a scene - let alone $16!

For the eatery owner, the best way to clear his name would have been to disclose his transaction history. If all other payments (except the VND1.2 million) showed reasonable prices per bowl, the truth would be obvious.

More broadly, this incident highlights the dangers of ill-timed jokes. In Vietnamese culture, many common "jokes" carry significant "emotional damage".

Many of us remember hearing jokes when we were kids like, "Your mom just had a new baby, so you're being replaced and ignored," or "You were found in the garbage and weren't born by your mom". Even worse, children of divorced parents often heard, "You're on your own because your parent has a new spouse.

Such remarks, while intended as harmless banter, can leave lasting emotional scars. In extreme cases, they can even provoke harmful reactions, such as sibling rivalry or a child running away from home.

Even adults are not immune to the sting of careless words. I myself have found my friendships strained over offhand remarks that unintentionally caused offense.

For the eatery owner, regardless of whether he was joking or not, this incident served as an early "bitter pill" for the New Year. One thing's for sure: he will probably give up his habit of joking about prices, and his once bustling eatery may never be quite the same again.

We often hear the saying, "Think twice before you speak," reminding us to be wary of our words. Whether it's a street vendor or any of us, it's always wise to make sure that what we say is thoughtful and considerate - to choose our words carefully so that they bring people together rather than drive them apart.