- Me on my Yellow motorbike!!
- Chaos on the streets of Ho Chi Minh!
Ho Chi Minh City is a world where old and new competes to survive in this dense populated city. It’s a city filled with skyscrapers, ancient temples, motorbikes, people on bicycles and every inch of it covered in tall slim buildings.
The streets are overcrowded with motorbikes, piled with up to 5 people each fighting for way with taxis and even trucks. The streets look like organized chaos with motorbike drivers talking on cell phones, not abiding traffic signals, and not even driving in the same direction as the traffic flow.
- Me driving through the countryside of Vietnam
I dared to brave the streets of Ho Chi Minh City on my bright yellow Honda cup only after about a month of living there. The first couple of weeks just crossing the street felt like a brave life risking thing to do. I have never seen so many people on motorbikes in one place, and they don’t actually stop at the traffic lights. You have a mere 30 second gap in which you have to weave through the motorbikes to the other side before they start moving again.
- Just crossing the road is a dangerous mission!
- My “buttercup”!
I got myself a canary yellow 1969 super cup motorbike. It couldn’t go faster than 60km per hour but in a city as crowded as Ho Chi Minh City you don’t need to go faster. And the up side of this was that when I got into my first accident I wasn’t hurt too bad because I was going at a snails pace. The down side was that my motorbike had no petrol gage so I did get stranded a couple of times without gas. But then you didn’t have to walk far before you saw a brick with a white paper cone in it on a corner. This was where you could quickly buy petrol on the street. The first time this happened and the little Vietnamese dude brought me a bottle of green petrol I thought they were trying to trick me, petrol should be red shouldn’t it? Well in Vietnam you get dirty unrefined green petrol, the cause of all the black fumes in the city.
- I just love my yellow bike!!
- Riding a Motorbike through the Streets of Ho Chi Minh
I quickly learnt to never leave the house without my little fog mask…looks like a dentist mask but it helps you from chocking on all the fumes you will be inhaling while driving.
- The streets of Ho Chi Minh City
If you do rent a bike in Saigon, and if you’ve never ridden one I don’t recommend to learn here, remember a few tips here;
1. Traffic will come from all directions, no matter what side of the street you’re on
2. Red lights don’t always mean stop here, so keep you eyes peeled when you go through a green one and don’t try going through an orange one
3. Large trucks often don’t have brakes or don’t use them.
4. Watch out for the boy racer coming towards you, he will likely swerve all over the place to impress mates or the poor girlfriend on the back.
5. Be careful when driving along side busses, especially mini busses, as Vietnamese are notoriously car sick and a face full of vomit is not pleasant
6. I advise wearing a helmet everywhere especially on the Highways
7. As a foreigner in an accident it is more than likely, no matter what happened, you would be in the wrong. If it’s not your fault get the hell out of there as quickly as you can. If you do stop make sure you remove your keys and put them in your pocket.
8. Puddles in the road often hide very deep holes, don’t drive through them, it is not a very enjoyable experience.
Safe driving
If you are not renting a motorbike there are a couple of other transport options available, namely, taxis, “xe om” (motorbike taxi) and “cyclos” (bicycle taxi) otherwise known as a rickshaw. Xe means motorbike and Om is cuddle, cuddle bike because you have to hold on for dear life, also check for BO before you get on.
General advice on these guys: on the whole they are reliable and safe, I always look for the oldest bike mainly because with a foreigner on the back they can’t go fast. Otherwise they go as fast as they possibly can and you end up holding on for dear life in the hectically busy streets. Late at night is not a good time to use them, especially around Phan Ngu Lao, there are lots of reports of dodgy dealings so either use one you know (used before) or get a taxi.
Taxis services have dramatically improved in the last few years with some professional companies opening up such as Mei Linh and Vinataxi. But still there are a few rouges out there so here are some tips: You don’t need to bargain for a taxi, if the driver tries, get another taxi. The most common trick is for them not to start the meter, if he refuses get out and get another.
Someday cars will overtake the streets in Ho Chi Minh City, but for now, motorbikes rule, and cyclos(tricycle rickshaws) co-exist. The bicycle-like contraptions that are a quick mode of transportation for both tourists and locals are almost a national symbol. They cover the streets, they cover postcards, and they employ about 60,000 people.
Enjoy your travels around Ho Chi Minh City.
Throwback Thursday, is a weekly reminiscent movement where you re-post past events or photos. They can be from years ago or from just a few days ago. Its a great way to look back fondly on some of your favorite memories……
Janaline's world journey 
You really lead an interesting life.
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Thanks Gayle.
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Adventurous and brave indeed ~ great post on what is a way of life in Vietnam 🙂
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Thank you!!
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Oh what a mess!
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It is crazy, definitely something out of another world
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I hope cars don’t overtake. Can you imagine if each motorbike was a car? Gridlock.
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Unfortunately everybody drives like crazy, that includes the taxi’s, cars and sometimes even the trucks.
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We are going to Saigon in a few days and learned a lot from your post. Thanks! Btw, can i repost your 7 recommendations about riding a bike in Saigon? Thanks
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I hope you had a fabulous time in Saigon!?
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Oh yes! I remember the days of Vietnamese traffic and how daunting it was to even cross the road, but I quickly got used to it LOL! Ha! I remember the bikes too and I didn’t dare ride one alone so I had a driver in front of me and a helmet and everything, and I still had nightmares of falling off the bike and breaking my skull, although I didn’t. Phew!
‘Love the post. 🙂
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Thank you! The prospect of having my own yellow motorbike was the only thing that got me to brave those crazy streets.
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You are so brave. I wouldn’t even cross the street in Vietnam. Which pretty much limited our city experiences to one block or a taxi drive!
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Dont worry, that was me the first month of living there but I realised I could spend a year taking taxis so toughened up and got myself a little motorbike!
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Oh, you lived there! Wonderful!! I’m getting the travel bug again. I need to dig out some photos for my blog.
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Wow, it does seem scary to ride through traffic in Vietnam from what I’m reading here. But I love your yellow scooter, it’s so adorable!! 🙂
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Thank you, Sha!! It is scary but also a huge adventure to ride through these colourful and chaotic streets.
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OH MY GOSH! Does your mother know you’re doing this? Just kidding, Janaline, but this looks terrifying to me. You are one brave soul. And well-dressed too…..love the red dress.
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Thank you!! My mother found out the hard way when she came to visit me and I had her on the back of the bike with me. She clung on for dear life!!
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It’s really hard not to be jealous of your awesome yellow motorbike.
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Thank you!! I actually ” vamped ” her up after these photos by adding a white basket to the front and having the seats covered in yellow polka dots!!
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Fantastic tips. You are very brave and must feel very liberated to be able to ride around by yourself. Love your bike!
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Thank you!! I loved my little “buttercup” motorbike and by the end of my stay I was so confident on it that I even had my mother on the back of it when she came to visit!
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Fun! You are the best sort of traveler. You really get to know a place before you decide to move on. Keep on going and you’ll know the world as well as one person can!
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Thank you!! I do try to experience the culture and to “do what the locals do” ! I travel not just to see but to live and experience each place and culture!
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You got a cute yellow bike! Haha! yeah, you’re right on “checking BO” first, been through that before. Here we called that motobike taxi “habal-habal.
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Yeah, unfortunately in the summer heat it is sometimes unavoidable!
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Yikes! But you’ve lived to tell the tale!
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Must say after my first couple of scrapes I had adjusted and it was all smooth driving after that!
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🙂
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Best way to get around cities in Vietnam! And a bit of fun too!
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I agree! Walking in that summer heat is just crazy and always having to take a taxi is not lots of fun. Gives you the freedom to move around as you want
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Looks nutso! And fun 🙂
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Believe me it is definitely both! After a while you end up driving as crazy and reckless as all the other drivers on these chaotic roads!
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Loving your posts about Ho Chi Minh. But biking in such a busy city, I’d be to scared!
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I was definitely scared…probably for the whole first month of two that I drove but after that I got used to the chaos and crazy way they drive in Vietnam.
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I miss riding my bike, I used to drive everyday to and fro work, more the less the same rules apply. Love your yellow bike, stands out 🙂
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Thank you!! I had to give up my little “buttercup” when I left Vietnam and I do miss her so much!
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