When I decided to hit Vietnam after a few weeks in Thailand, I didn’t think traffic could get any worse than I had experienced in Bangkok, but oh was I wrong. While the traffic in Bangkok is crazy, there is still a sort of order to it. People respect traffic lights (for the most part), and once you get off the main avenues, things relax a bit. Vietnam? Lawless…
From the second I pulled out from the airport in Ho Chi Minh City (also formally and still known as Saigon), I knew I was in for one wild ride. The main difference between Saigon and Bangkok is the number of motorbikes. With huge import taxes on cars in Vietnam, there are about 50 motorbikes for every one car, and they are whizzing around in every direction in a chaotic free-for-all. Somehow, everyone seems to know what to do. People incessantly beep their horns to signal to anyone they are behind them, and hell, sometimes for no reason at all!
While traffic in Saigon is insane in itself, even more mind-boggling is the way you have to cross the street. There are almost no traffic lights and the only way to cross the road is to basically take a deep breath and just step out. You have to continuously walk at a slow pace and the motorbikes will just whip around you. If you stop, it throw them off and they can’t anticipate your intended path. This is actually how everyone does it. Check out the video below of me crossing one of the biggest avenues in the city at rush hour!