Vietnam - Life outside golf course

The dormitory becomes a second home for caddies who come from far away. It is not very comfortable, but provides them shelter and saves money from their meager salary that they send back home to raise their children and help their families.

Part 1: Caddies’ hard work on golf course
Part 2: Caddies’ tears on golf course
Part 3: Life outside golf course

At the HP golf course in the northern province of Hoa Binh, the dormitory is located on the sixth floor of a building used by golfers as hotel and restaurant.

Stories in dorm

Disguised as young girls from the countryside seeking jobs as caddies at the HP golf course in Hoa Binh, Tuoi Tre journalists were allocated two beds in a room of four. On the first day there, an experienced caddy named Ha told us the house rules.

“You will be fined if you turn on fans and lights during the day time. Take care of your luggage by yourself,” Ha said.

The following day, a manager of the dorm informed them that local authorities would come to check residency registries. 20 new caddies were told, “You should go out tonight and not return. You should sleep in four friends’ houses.”

After moaning of having no acquaintances in the area, newcomers were placed in a room locked from the outside with an instruction from the manager, “When they come to check, you all keep silent. When they come, I will tell them this is my working room and skip to others.”

The caddies were only released at midnight when authorities were ensured not to come.

Life in the dorm is messy but caddies accept it to save costs, a caddy said. Some new clothes of the Tuoi Tre journalists were stolen when they were left out to dry in the sun.

The manager often complains that caddies obey no discipline in the dorm – throwing rubbish, stealing, and taking friends from outside into their dorm rooms.

Returning to the dorm after working, most caddies spend their time playing cards, some put on make up and go out with friends while others do the cooking. A caddie who has stayed in the dorm for two years said she always brings back dried vegetables after visiting her family and keeps it to eat day by day.

Despite of being banned from using electric cookers, each room has at least one to boil water and cook meals. Stories about the clients they serve are also a topic for discussion. A caddie boasted she had been given VND1.5 million (US$71) as tip from a Vietnamese customer.

Lights are turned off at 9:00pm and caddies go to bed.

A new caddie named Nga began sobbing. She has only been in the dorm for a couple of days, and has only just weaned her baby. She misses her child and her breasts are painfully full of milk.

Feeling touched for Nga, another caddy Linh said, “She will stop working here after she gets married.”

A new day starts at 5:00 in the morning when they all go downstairs to the dining room to have a free breakfast of only rice, sesame and salt, boiled egg and roasted peanuts.

Portraits of rich men in dorm

The Vietnamese clients playing golf are rich men or senior officials from state agencies. It is quite different from foreign customers who may be normal staff given tickets by their firms.

Vietnamese golfers come with their own cars or luxurious agency vehicles, often Lexus, Mercedes, BMW or Porsche.

Tran Ngoc Tu, a training manager at the HL golf course, said a golfer spends at least VND20-30 million ($950 – 1,400) a month excluding other costs for cars and food. Thinh, a real estate tycoon in Ho Chi Minh City, estimates that it costs him up to $1,900 a month to play golf.

The average a golfer spends equals ten months’ salary of a worker and double the salary of officers.

So, despite of the fears of abuse by Vietnamese guests, caddies are encouraged to work with them on the field for lofty tips. Meanwhile, foreign clients have regular standards in giving tips. The Japanese give tips from VND150,000 – 200,000 ($7-10), South Korean around VND200,000 while Vietnamese possibly up to millions.

In addition, a golf kit costs tens of thousands of US dollars -- which can help a normal person to buy a house and a plot of land to change their life.

That is why all golf tournaments offer big prizes that are many times higher than those of other sports to attract rich golfers. A reward for a hole-in-one is a Mercedes or a VND1.5 billion ($71,500) apartment.

TUOI TRE

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