Beautiful number

Mai, Mr. Nhan, and I went to the local police today to register my scooter. It was an interesting experience. It felt more like a DMV and we waited almost an hour for a man to come help us. Once it was finally our turn, Mai told me that I could pay more for a "beautiful number". I did not understand what this meant and she tried explaining it to me... but I had to "decide quickly"...

I ended up paying $55 for an 8 number, as she called it.

Afterwards, she explained it to me more and I think I've got it now... Chinese numerology is very important to the Vietnamese. If I pay to have a license plate with a lucky number, I will be able to sell it for more when the time comes.

A 7 cost less than an 8... and a 9 is the most expensive... or I could take my chances and not pay a thing.

Well, following Mai's advice, I paid for an 8. ...Now that I've read a bit about it, I'm glad that I did!

I especially found the following Wikipedia article interesting and I think that the 8 sounds best... better than a 9 even!

Wikipedia Article - Chinese Numerology

Basically, if the license plate numbers add up to 8, that is lucky, or "beautiful".

Buuuuut there were no "8" numbers today... the guy and Mai are going to go back tomorrow to try. The whole thing is a bit funny to me but I understand the importance better now. Parts of this culture are beautiful... it's fun to learn about it... even if it feels I'm often learning the hard way.  :P