Hung up in Vietnam? Call information

By Margie Mason
The Associated Press

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HANOI, Vietnam — What's the best way to sue my neighbor? How big is Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum? Is surgery necessary to remove a bunion? Am I pregnant?

For answers to these questions, call 1080.

Directory assistance in communist Vietnam goes a lot further than America's 411. It's a combination of a lonely-hearts column, Dr. Ruth and general information service, with a force of female operators ready to take on just about anything, 24/7.

In a country where information — including the Internet and media — is tightly controlled by the government, the service fills a big gap. And its popularity attests to a level of telephone penetration that reflects Vietnam's growing prosperity: 9.3 million telephone subscribers in a nation of 82 million.

The service started in 1992 in Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, as a way for the Communist Party to explain social and economic policies. More than a decade later, exchanges in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City alone field 75,000 calls a day asking for everything from college exam scores and soccer results to advice on finding love.

A sweet, clear voice is a must, along with a good education. Those selected then undergo intensive training on how to answer questions quickly and cheerfully.

In Hanoi, about 40 women in matching blue smocks and headphones sit side-by-side in a crowded room filled with shelves and cabinets of reference books and files.

They chat and type furiously on computers at their desks, and each sits before a large mirror.

"If they have a bad temper, they can look at themselves in the mirror and change their attitudes," said Bui Minh Chau, director of Hanoi's 1080 service. "It's very stressful. Sometimes the operators get shouted and screamed at by the client."
 
The job pays about $65 a month — par for the Vietnamese civil service — and isn't taken lightly. The operators have become final arbiters of many a dispute or barroom argument. (Ho's mausoleum? 10,344 square feet.)

The service has become so popular in Hanoi that more than 80 phone trees have been added to provide recorded answers about flight schedules and other tourist information.

Doctors and lawyers dole out medical and legal advice, and psychologists tackle thorny questions most Vietnamese wouldn't dare ask in public. They can be reached during business hours by calling one of the automated numbers and selecting from a list of experts.

Sex is a big issue. In a country where it's never discussed openly in schools or homes, operators provide a confidential alternative. They also advise on marriage, pregnancy and drug addiction. Those contemplating suicide also turn to them.

Callers don't have to give names, and their questions remain secret. "That's why many of the clients consider us a very reliable friend," said Nguyen Xuan Phuoc of Hanoi Telephone.

They also can order songs to be sent over the phone for special occasions. The 10,000 on offer include songs from Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" to Britney Spears' "Baby, One More Time."

And it costs just 6 cents for the first minute and 2 cents for each additional minute.

Each city and province has a 1080 offering various levels of service, and it's become so popular in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that busy signals and long waits are common.

The No. 1 request? It's still telephone numbers.