Numbers On The Walls

(PHOTO: Telephone numbers written on the exterior of a house. Photo courtesy of Veronica.)

How many times have you had a problem at your house and torn apart your kitchen cabinet looking for your plumbers phone number? Well, in Vietnam they have a simple solution so you don't lose the digits for home repair guys -- they write their numbers on the wall of your house.

All over Vietnam you'll see numbers written on the walls of alleys/homes. According to Huyen, my unofficial Vietnam guide, these are phone numbers for plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, etc. Granted nowadays we have cell phones that store five hundred numbers, but how many of us really keep our electricians information in our mobiles? When you think about it, it makes sense -- if you're locked out of the house and can't get to your phone book, you can just walk around to the side of your house and look up the locksmith.