“Mum, I think our Airbnb hosts are Deaf“.
The taxi left us close to a narrow street full of houses, and I had no idea where our place was supposed to be. After walking and asking for help, a guy showed me the correct house. He gestured to the woman sat inside to open the gate, and she did so.
When I asked her if this was the place she nodded without saying a word.
A young lady appeared and, in perfect English, showed us the room and the house. We took a shower, relax for a little bit, and then we left the room.
Downstairs, in the living room, our host wanted to take a picture with us and her husband. What I noticed, is that she wasn’t speaking, only gesturing, but I thought was okay since many people don’t speak English and they prefer to gesture.
Anyway, we had our day in the city and I quickly forgot about this topic. We visited some cool places, got awesome food and went to a Deaf Hair Salon.
On the way back home, I started to think again about our two hosts. They weren’t speaking at all, even between them.
“Maybe they are just a quiet couple”, I said to myself.
As soon as we got back home, they warmly welcomed us. They had a big bright smile and they were so nice to us!
I used some gesture and asked them if I could keep the water and my mangoes in the fridge.
Then I asked: “Are you guys Deaf?”
It was so crazy to believe that, but in my constant quest for Deaf people worldwide, it happened to book an Airbnb hosted by two Vietnamese Deaf people!
I showed them the pictures and videos of my meeting with Thanh, the Deaf Hairdresser, and she happily replied: “Oh yes, I know this guy!”.
She knew about other places run by Deaf people, like the famous Tea House in Hoi An, and told me that in their neighborhood they have a lot of Deaf friends.
The following night, I decided to stay a bit longer with them and have a proper chat. They both use Hanoi-Vietnamese Sign Language (which I found out is different from Ho Chi Minh City Sign Language), and it’s so different from any Sign Language I’ve ever seen.
Sadly, they didn’t know International Sign Language nor written English, therefore our conversation turned out to be a bit more difficult then what I expected.
What impressed me, was the couple’s ability to talk with my mum. They were able to ask her some simple questions, and she could easily understand, even if she doesn’t know Sign Language.
I think this is because of the nature of Sign Language, which is a very visual language, therefore some basic concepts are easy to catch.
As we were trying to communicate, we didn’t focus on grammar. We used simple gestures and hoped to get it right!
However, we did have a great chat. I learned new Signs and they learned some different as well.
It’s amazing how you can have a conversation with no English at all, and without using your voices.
Their two beautiful daughters are Hearing and fluent in Vietnamese Sign Language, Vietnamese and English. They are CODA (Children Of Deaf Adults) and proud!
The following night, after chatting again for a little bit, we went on a small tour of their neighborhood. We took her motorbike and we started driving in Hanoi’s narrow streets.
She showed me around, explained to me the story of some buildings and, after that, we stop for a drink with three Vietnamese Deaf people. They were very nice to me, even with my broken Sign Language!
As soon as we came back, we quickly had to say goodbye, as I had to catch my flight back to Ho Chi Min City at 4 a.m.
In the end, I was sad about leaving Hanoi. It turned out to be a wonderful experience and I am so thankful to all the Vietnamese Deaf people I’ve met. It was great to find a diverse community!
Have some of you found any Deaf hostel around the world? Or have you ever met any Deaf travelers in your hostel/Airbnb?
Let’s see what’s next! 🙂
Sonia
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