In Vietnam, I tried getting my suitcase repaired

In mid-April, I ended up setting off on a trip to central Vietnam. Since it's a short trip of three days and two nights, I was thinking of going with just carry-on, without checking any luggage on the plane, and when it comes to that, my little suitcase gets its turn. And so, up we go! I pulled out the one I hadn't used in about a year. ——Oh my. The rubber on the wheels is crumbling. A bad feeling. When I touch it, it comes flaking off bit by bit. This is... might be a bit hopeless. I suppose it's because of the heat in Ho Chi Minh City. Rubber and plastic end up like this. It's hydrolysis, I think — if I remember right. My husband says something like, "It still rolls, so it's fine, right?" but no, no — if you keep using it like that, next it's the main body that gets ruined, you know. What should I do, I find myself pondering a little. ——Couldn't this be fixed? In a short time… In Japan, you'd either make a reservation and leave it at a shop for a few days to be repaired, or else give up and buy a new one. I won't throw it away so easily. It's a suitcase I'm truly attached to. And above all, this is Vietnam. It's a country where broken things aren't left as they are. Before you know it, someone picks up what was thrown away and repairs it, and if it's beyond saving, they take it apart, sort out only the usable parts, and sell them. Whether it's because they hate to see things go to waste, or because it earns them money—either way, they naturally do the kind of thing we'd now call SDGs. Mending clothes and repairing shoes is remarkably easy and affordable, and depending on the item, it can even be fixed within the same day. For someone like me who doesn't have a sewing machine, I'm just happy to have it fixed cheaply and quickly, even if the work is a little rough. If that's the case, then there absolutely has to be a place that will fix a suitcase too. There has to be one… My husband says, "Well, maybe you don't need to push yourself this time, right?" Maybe it can't be fixed, and even if I take it in, maybe they won't bother with me. Maybe they'll rip me off. And maybe they won't even take it on in the first place… Those kinds of things do happen, it's true. Asking someone to do something for you overseas often doesn't go smoothly. The language, the differences in understanding — a proper, established shop would be one thing, but here I am, about to hand it over to a local repair guy. There's a bit of a gamble to it. But it's also true that this has become one of the joys of living abroad. And then—somehow, my husband's way of putting it is bugging me just a little. That air of "Well, it's probably not going to work." As if my limits have already been decided for me, in advance. ……No, no, you won't know unless you try, right? Half of it might be sheer stubbornness. But the other half is a feeling of hope — wanting to clear the hurdle of "maybe I can actually do it." I'll get moving in the morning, and if it doesn't work out by noon, I'll give up this time. That's the kind of rule I set for myself. When I looked into it, there was a repair shop about 20 minutes away by motorbike. But although they have a website, the phone doesn't connect and they don't reply to emails either. ……That's pretty worrying. But I told myself this is pretty common in the local areas, and you never really know until you go and see for yourself. If it doesn't work out, I'll think about it then. I set my suitcase down by my feet and set off on the motorbike~. Above all, I drove with safety first, making sure not to get into an accident. Somehow I made it through the congested district, crossed two bridges, and headed into a local area. Looking around, it was actually a rather nice-looking townscape, but the shop was really hard to find. Using the address as a clue, I pressed on, checking the signs one by one, At last, I arrived at what seemed to be the place. The entrance is open, yet there's nothing that looks like a factory in sight. Huh…… is this really the right place? Hesitating just a little, I peeked inside, and one of the shop's staff noticed me, looked at my suitcase, and laughed, saying "OK, OK.

【Office, Product Storage, and Workshop All in One】 Looking toward the back, there was a shelf of suitcases, with what appeared to be ones that had already been repaired sitting there. Right beside it, a quiet little repair space. Parts boxes were lined up tightly, packed together. ——Yes, they really do fix things here. When I showed them the wheel, again a cheerful "OK." Just to be safe, I asked the price: 500,000 dong to replace all four wheels. About 3,000 yen in Japanese currency. Right around the going rate. Since I'd gathered information online beforehand so I wouldn't get ripped off For now I felt reassured, and decided to just go ahead and leave it to them. They told me, "It'll be done in no time~," so I went over to the sofa. I wondered, would it take about an hour? and thought maybe I'd head to a nearby café, but since they said it'd be quick… (Even though the sense of time in Vietnam is longer than in Japan.) Since I was here anyway, I figured I'd watch them work. That way, if they made a total mess of it, I wouldn't get talked into anything. (Though I'd probably lose the argument…) The repair was over in a flash.

【A master who does repairs in a space no bigger than half a tatami mat】 And on top of that, his skill was so slick it felt genuinely satisfying to watch. He briskly picked out the parts, then went to work with his tools — clack-clack-clack-clack! Sparks flew as he whipped off all four wheels in the blink of an eye, and then, with something like a drill, he vrrr-vrrr'd the bolts and fitted the new ones on. Not a single wasted movement. It was over in maybe five minutes. Magnificent. "There you go," he said, handing the suitcase back, and when I rolled it — —it was light. And quiet. I'd figured a bit of noise would be fine, but far beyond my expectations, it glided along smoothly, sliding as if it were floating.

How moving..." I couldn't help letting out a little sound. Payment was done in a flash with a QR code. So simple that I found myself wondering, is it really okay for it to be this easy? Even the time I'd spent a little anxious, unable to get in touch, somehow no longer mattered at all. The customer who came in after me was asking to have a handle repaired—it catches, right here, right here! I see, so they replace handles too. Looking closer, RIMOWA, Samsonite... it seems they even do repairs for those brands. My Rimowa suitcase, whose lock has just been acting up and it's been bugging me a little, I think I might bring it in one of these days too. Fixing it here is a better deal than at the official store, both in time and in price. (And if it breaks, well, then it breaks—can't be helped.) With that sense of having accomplished something, my mood has lightened a little, and even puttering along on my motorbike feels bright and cheerful. Vietnam's roads have so many one-way streets. And since I don't really remember the roads at all, I keep struggling to get onto the route that crosses the road and goes over the bridge to head back to the city center. Huh, it's not here. Oh, wrong again. Before I knew it, I was going round and round and round the same road again. ——There I go running here again, honestly, what am I doing~ Just cutting through the wind as I ran, I was somehow in a good mood, and as I kept spinning around and around, my cheeks and lips stayed loose the whole time. In Japan, the option to so casually "get it fixed" probably isn't really there right now. Of course, I think there are hits and misses, but this time the shop was probably a hit. These little successful experiences (even if it's a miracle) somehow make me a little happy. When my husband got home, I showed it to him with a cool, nonchalant look and said, "It's fixed~" "Oh wow, amazing—you went all the way out there?!" he said, impressed, so, feeling pretty pleased with myself, I made a little smug face, jutting my chin out just a bit, as if to say, "Ahem! How about that!" ■The shop where I had my suitcase repaired this time Relug Luggage Repair Center 📍Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/VLueV8y4oNixvVeG7 ・Suitcase repair specialists ・Caster replacement service available ・QR payment accepted ※4-wheel replacement: approx. 500,000 VND (approx. 3,000 yen) ※Work time: approx. 5 minutes Relocation Life Ranking