If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam you may have seen posts elsewhere mentioning the preponderance of motorbikes in Saigon. I’m here to tell you that those posts don’t even come close to impressing upon a reader how many Ho Chi Minh motorcycles they are going to encounter in the city and how that experience will feel. You may have even visited some other countries in person and thought “Dang, They’ve got a lot of motorcycles here.” Friend, that country was nothing like Vietnam.
Book a hotel with a good location, because you won’t want to go far on foot.
It is impossible to say with any accuracy how many motorbikes in Saigon are on the streets at any time. It’s certainly in the millions, with millions more parked on the sidewalks. I even discovered several buildings that had been hollowed out into de facto parking garages where Ho Chi Minh City motorcycles had been stored inside as tightly packed as sardines.
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Dealing with Motorbikes on Foot
You might think if you stay on the sidewalk and are careful about crossing with the lights you’ll be largely unaffected. That’s not the case at all. Every block has dozens of bikes parked on the sidewalk. Sometimes this requires twisting, turning or stepping into the street to pass. Several times each day someone preparing to ride will roll their bike backwards within inches of your legs and feet.
No sidewalk is safe. As you can see above the narrow street is closed to car traffic but motorbikes in Saigon have free rein everywhere. The rider in the photo is about to buzz closely past the unsuspecting women walking in the pedestrian lane.
At all hours people will ride up onto the sidewalk. They do things like park directly in front of the door at 7-Eleven . How hard is it to park in the street and walk six feet?! It’s not uncommon for riders to pull onto sidewalks and ride for blocks at a time if traffic is heavy.
All of this is extremely rude. The Vietnamese either don’t see it that way or don’t care. Judging by the general attitude of people I encountered in the city I believe it’s the latter.
Motorbikes on the Streets of Saigon
It doesn’t matter if you wait for the light and cross with your signal. Especially along Nguyen Hue they’ll barrel through the intersection unless the crowds crossing are so thick they can’t possibly pass.
No matter where you cross a street motorbikes in Saigon will pass as close to you as they possibly can. If you raise your hands or take any kind of defensive posture they’ll take it as an affront. If you’ve nearly completed a crossing and are four feet from the curb they’ll slip between you and the curb. They’re loathe to ride behind you. I even had one rider double back and throw a rock at me after an incident on the street. There’s no two ways about it, these people are assholes.
The only thing allowing anyone to cross any streets is that Ho Chi Minh motorcycles are more maneuverable than cars. You’ve got to have a little faith that they do see you and will eventually turn their handlebars.
Should You Rent a Motorbike In Saigon?
I don’t think you should. There are many outfits willing to rent you one and it will only cost a few dollars a day. Sightseeing and street food tours are conducted by scooters as well. You probably don’t even have to look any further than your hotel. There was scooter rental in the basement where I stayed at the White Lotus.
For me it’s a hard pass. Motorbike accidents are very common in Saigon. You may have rented scooters in other cities or even have some experience riding. Even so, it’s unlikely you’ll adapt to the level of traffic chaos here in just a few hours or days.
An accident can quickly turn into a nightmare. If you have to seek medical care in a Vietnamese clinic it could take half a day or more. Even if you don’t need a doctor, becoming entangled with a local in liability issues could be a nightmare. It may delay your departure. At the very least they’re going to see you’re a tourist and shake you down for cash. But if you insist on it they’re not too expensive.
I had so much disdain for Ho Chi Minh motorcycles and their riders it became difficult to enjoy any aspect of the city. The fact of them being everywhere is inescapable. If you’re traveling throughout Southeast Asia my advice is to concentrate on cities with a great metro system like Bangkok’s. After a couple days I was eager to get on Skyscanner and explore cheap flights from Vietnam.
