Stepping out of Hanoi’s old quarter onto the streets of Saigon is a bit of shock.
Saigon is alive with frantic activity. The streets buzz constantly with steady streams of motorbikes and with Sunday night being one of those “out cruising with the family evenings” you see many of the passers by smiling and simply enjoying the balmy evenings as they coast around downtown.
During peak hour though it’s a different story, intersections without traffic lights can become clogged in moments. Each motorbike locked in a totally motionless wheel to wheel stance as the bikes rev and the beeping of horns escalates. The tightly woven traffic starts resemble a piece of fabric and grows rapidly. Faces are intent and determined however there isn’t even a hint of road rage as the tangle slowly unravels. The idea of riding a bicycle here is a daunting one and I am sure a toe or two of a daredevil pedestrian must have surely come into contact with a motorbike tyre when attempting to cross the road in the absence of lights.
All this only adds to the upbeat and frenetic ambiance that makes Saigon so special.
