How to Cross a Ho Chi Minh City Street and Survive
Our shell shocked looking Canadian foursome stands at the side of a busy four lane road in central Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon). We gaze longingly at the far side of a chaotic moving artery of Vietnamese motorbikes, cars and trucks. The task of crossing a Ho Chi Minh City street appears impossible or certainly life threatening.
Yet we watch locals casually stroll across the Ho Chi Minh road as the smorgasbord of vehicles smoothly maneuver around each other with no honking or interesting hand gestures.
Home to approximately 8.5 million people, Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam’s largest urban center. Along with a massive population comes 7.5 million motorbikes, and a mere 700,000 cars, making the roads of Ho Chi Minh City a vibrant, helter-skelter destination. Despite what appears completely disorderly, the traffic on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City always seems to flow steadily.
The idea of obeying traffic signs or road lanes seems ludicrous for the local drivers and riders. In fact, the only way the Ho Chi Minh City traffic can flow efficiently is by everyone maneuvering around each other while mostly ignoring the traffic signs, signals and lane designations, including sidewalks!
So how possibly do we cross a Ho Chi Minh City road? For narrow roads (and there are plenty of them) crossing is fairly straight forward. However keeping one’s wits and eyes in the back of your head as motorbikes and bicycles constantly zip up and down these Ho Chi Minh City lanes is vital should you want to arrive at the other side fully intact.
Don’t be fooled by the signs that say ‘no motorbikes’. Sidewalks are not only for pedestrians and the sign obviously a guideline only. The Ho Chi Minh City sidewalks also serve as parking lots for motorbikes. One never knows when one of these two-wheelers may pull in or out an inch from your toes.
The added diligence on Ho Chi Minh City streets is required for both staying safe from accidents, and from potential pick-pocketing. Ho Ch Minh City often makes the top five list of most dangerous cities in Asia. Murder and violent crime are rare however petty theft and pick pocketing are prevalent.
How to Cross a Ho Chi Minh City Street …
and live to tell about it
For the wider roads in Ho Chi Minh City, our local guide gives us the strict instructions for successfully surviving this ordeal. Walk confidently, slowly and consistently with one arm up steadfastly in the air.
Do not run! You will likely be hit as the weaving traffic will not have time to adjust. Continue slowly and definitely keep your hand high for drivers to see.
When in Ho Chi Minh City it is important to keep valuables such as jewellry and wallets out of sight. With the intense traffic a handbag over a shoulder or wallet in can be easily grabbed by a passing motorbike before you realize anything has happened.
Wallets should never be kept in back pockets. Always be aware if someone touches you or there is a lot of noise or distracting activity around you. Leave your jewellery at home or at the very least in the hotel safe. For more information on staying safe while traveling anywhere in the world you can find our best tips here.
The first attempts at Ho Chi Minh City street crossing prove rather nerve racking. Yet there soon is the realization that everyone on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, and the sidewalks for that matter, move in chaotic cooperation accommodating each other’s need to get from A to B.
As we cross the road at a slow and steady pace (although perhaps not too confidently), the endless stream of motorbikes and occasional cars smoothly flow around us like a river flows around a stone. It is astounding to experience. Not to say we were ever totally at ease with this process, but it did the trick!
Our shell shocked looking Canadian foursome stands at the side of a busy four lane road in central Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon). We gaze longingly at the far side of a chaotic moving artery of Vietnamese motorbikes, cars and trucks. The task of crossing a Ho Chi Minh City street appears…
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