At first glance the traffic in Ho Chi
Minh city is utter chaos. Looking out the front window of the bus bus
as we left the airport, hordes of motorcycles crisscross the two lane
road 5 or 6 across, in what looks more like a video game.
Taxes in Vietnam for automobiles are
about 200 percent. Therefore, nearly all the vehicles in the city are motos
(scooters and motorcycles). Motos are also fairly cheap, between one
and two thousand dollars for a new one. In some ways, this lack of
automobiles is a great thing. Traffic is always moving with the
motorcycles, so there are few Los Angeles style traffic jams. They also move in and out of
traffic and crevices with ease. The motorcycles take up less space,
and thus can normally just park on the sidewalk. If the emissions of
the motorcycles were controlled, this could also be better for controlling pollution. However, judging from the quantity of people wearing face
masks, I doubt the emissions are controlled so much.
The first day as a pedestrian in Saigon
was intimidating, but we adjusted quickly. Crossing the street
initially seems scary or as if it will take forever to find a long enough gap.
Rule number one is to be relaxed and steady. Don't run or dash. Step
out onto the street. When there is a gap for a few seconds, begin
your walk. Traffic sometimes comes from everywhere (on the street and
sidewalk), so you need to keep your head scanning in both directions.
Keep walking at a steady pace, and miraculously, all the motorcycles
know exactly what to do and they will navigate around you, like a
game of frogger except you win every time. The only trick is with
cars...when they come, you may need to stop in the middle of the
street until it passes, then proceed into the next gap. When you pass
the double line in the middle of the road, you must quickly change
your view to new oncoming traffic, whilst keeping your steady pace so
they can accordingly adjust their driving path.
While it all seems utterly chaotic and
dangerous, it isn't as bad as it looks. One of the big reasons it all
works is that driver go slow everywhere. They have time to react,
adjust, and change directions to drive around stopped vehicles or
crossing pedestrians. One guy we met said that motorcycles bumping
into each other is normal but accidents are few, and when they occur,
not too bad.
You can also see nearly everything on a
moto or being carried on a moto. Ladders, massive bags of
miscellaneous crap, cabinets. And since the moto is a family vehicle,
it is not uncommon to see 3 or 4 on one motorcycle. Five if you
include the mom with the infant attached to her.
All in all, crossing the street in Ho
Chi Minh is quite a fun experience :)
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| Motorcyle ponchos! Some of them even have two heads for two people and cover the handle bars. |
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| Here we have 3 on one moto. |
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| And this isn't even that impressive for the crap they manage to carry. |
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| Bus driver view. I wonder how often the buses cream the motorcyclists |
