Riding a bike in HCMC - "On the Road" Advice Required

I can offer some off road advice, there was a guy here a week ago offering on road instruction, search the forum.
I lived in Saigon 2 months before I rented an automatic Nouvo. Before that I became really comfortable walking across small and big streets. That taught me to be predictable in my movements. I also rode on the back with a friend and a few xe ôm. I observed the driving patterns and noticed so many practices that would be insane in the US are 'normal' and even expected here. I think that in many cases, "when in Rome do as the Romans" is probably safer than sticking to your Western rules. Of course there are nuts, but just mimic the slower drivers. Watch how they turn left at intersections. Watch how they turn right without stopping, aware of people going the wrong way in the gutter. Be careful of wobbly bicycles, slow carts,  and large vehicles who assume right of way.

More important than technique is learning the mind set of Vietnamese drivers. They excel at being defensive drivers without anger of others' random driving decisions. I would practice in District 7 bc wide roads and less traffic. Or in the city where it is well lighted after 9pm. Trần Hưng Đạo and Võ Văn Kiệt are good wide streets with less cross traffic.

Learn what the road signs mean, especially regarding priority roads, to which traffic entering should give way. Usually they don't.  Other road rules include give way to the left at roundabouts, give way to the right at cross streets if not priority roads.  Speed limit is 40kph in town, 60kph on the highway. Saigon has a local rule that you can go thru a stop sign on the through road of a T-junction. This does NOT apply elsewhere. On crowded streets, aim just behind pedestrians so they have room to move forward across the road. Beware of suicidal drivers who turn without looking or signalling. If you injure a pedestian, you pay. It doesn't matter if they threw themselves under your wheels or not, you still pay. Beware of stopping at stop lights. Only do so after checking that motobikes behind you are a long way back, because otherwise they will run into you when you stop. Beware of drivers who do not stop at red traffic lights. Beware when turning onto a street: look BOTH ways to avoid drivers driving the wrong way. Some years ago, going the wrong way was one of the three biggest causes of road deaths in Hanoi.  If you not already know how to ride a motorbike, Vietnam is not the place to learn.

the only one simple rule is, first person to point A has priority. leave the road rules you are accustom to behind. try using a bicycle first. you'll find bicycle riders have priority over motorcycles. the crowd just swim around you. other than unavoidable risks, the slower you go, the less likely you'll get into and accident. be alert is the most important factor. give it a couple of months and you'll be on your way to transporting refrigerators and washing machines.

Bicycle riders have priority over motorcycles ?  Ha ha ha ha ha , who says ? That is the biggest load of rubbish I've heard in a long time . The only things that get priority here, are busses and bloody great big trucks , and I'm sure you can guess why .!

Happy8888 wrote:

Bicycle riders have priority over motorcycles ?  Ha ha ha ha ha , who says ? That is the biggest load of rubbish I've heard in a long time . The only things that get priority here, are busses and bloody great big trucks , and I'm sure you can guess why .!

woah, great contribution to the members of this forum! so helpful. great tip. watch out for buses and trucks people. those big things are dangerous.

You , son , need a reality check . If you can't read , I was correcting your mistake in saying bicycles have priority over motorcycles , and clearly pointing out what does have priority on the roads I ride on EVERY single day , which no doubt is a hell of a lot more than you .Therefore I am far more qualified to inform the readers of the pecking order in the traffic and to correct misinformation such as what you posted
Now on a lighter note , could you tell us just what experience you have had on the ground here ? Was it a 1 week holiday ?

Happy8888 wrote:

You , son , need a reality check . If you can't read , I was correcting your mistake in saying bicycles have priority over motorcycles , and clearly pointing out what does have priority on the roads I ride on EVERY single day , which no doubt is a hell of a lot more than you .Therefore I am far more qualified to inform the readers of the pecking order in the traffic and to correct misinformation such as what you posted
Now on a lighter note , could you tell us just what experience you have had on the ground here ? Was it a 1 week holiday ?

aaa.. so the post rules have changed a bit. you can adjust and argue with another perspective. also laughing is ok. lets break this down, so you correct my mistake. then added the tip about watching out for buses and trucks no? since you claim superior knowledge and wisdom on Vietnam's roads, please explain to the OP why it is important for a MOTORCYCLE to give way to BUSES and TRUCKS.

There is obviously some problem , because you repeatedly dodge the question about your personal experience in Vietnam , on this thread and others
I added no tip about watching out for busses and trucks , I just put them in the right order
Some poor fool might read your incorrect information about bicycles , hire one , and head out into the traffic thinking that they have priority , when nothing could be further from the truth

not sure why I need to do this, but here, lets refresh your memory.

"The only things that get priority here, are busses and bloody great big trucks , and I'm sure you can guess why .!"

sure you did NOT directly say "watch out". one would read your comment as a tip and implies one should give way to a bus as they have priority. in order to give way, one needs to observe and notice the bus. ie watch out.

ok so on a serious note. are you suggesting that riding a bicycle is MORE dangerous than riding a motorcycle? because bicycles has a low priority over motorcycles?

Riding anything on the road here is dangerous , anyone can plainly see that
And the last time I looked , motorbikes seemed to be a bit sturdier than bicycles , which means that if they in fact did collide , it's not too hard to figure out who will more than likely come out second best.So in answer to your question , then yes , it's obviously going to be more dangerous riding a bicycle

Happy8888 wrote:

Riding anything on the road here is dangerous , anyone can plainly see that
And the last time I looked , motorbikes seemed to be a bit sturdier than bicycles , which means that if they in fact did collide , it's not too hard to figure out who will more than likely come out second best.So in answer to your question , then yes , it's obviously going to be more dangerous riding a bicycle

so in the 5 years you've been in Vietnam, you have concluded that bicycle riding is more dangerous than riding a motorcycle. interesting. then why is it that a bicycle rider requires no helmets and licence to be on the road. whereby operating MOST motorcycle requires you to wear a helmet and hold licence?

Probably the same reason that everyone carries their young children around , standing either at the front of the bike or in between the parents with no helmet

what reason is that? sorry I don't know.

so what you are saying is that all the Viet kids who start out on bicycles are just putting themselves at a higher risk? why don't they just start out on motorcycles?

Cannon fodder is back
Kids are not allowed to ride motorbikes matey

yeah I am just questioning your logic. notice how it doesn't make sense?

jeez, cossmo and Happy8888, having a little road rage? enough please

Big truck do not have priority, however, they believe they have and take it

youngman wrote:

Big truck do not have priority, however, they believe they have and take it

o

It all comes down to one main problem, many Vietnamese are very self centered on the road and dont care for other drivers. The fact that the police do squat has left Viet Nam with a terrible traffic problem.

Hi Tizac, I hope the best for you in riding a motor bike here in the HCMC area. Firstly, you need to believe that motor bikes are weapons of mass destruction. They are more dangerous  than firearms in the US. Some basic rules for you are: try never to ride at night or in the rain; try never to ride between the hours of 6am -9am or between 4p and 7p. My reasons are not a reflection of your own driving ability or any expat, for that matter but specifically a reflection of the personality, character and habits of the Vietnamese people. In general, they are very absentminded, careless, discourteous, selfish, in a hurry to get somewhere, often unaware, have poor judgement, poor insight and poor road vision. Do you know that 10-15% of motor bike riders don't use their lights at night or that they don't get their brake lights fixed, have bikes that are not roadworthy, don't use their direction (turn) indicators, don't give way to anybody else, go through red lights, spit without looking, smoke and use their mobile phones (at same time) while riding and swerving in between other riders, block turning lanes (preventing passage by other riders), side-swipe your motor bike and ride on without stopping to apologize or take credit for accidents that they cause, ride in the wrong direction and on any available footpaths (side-walks) whenever they can.

Remembering, to, that when riding a motor bike, you will need to that you will need to share the road with thousands of other motor bikes, pedestrians (usually no footpaths to walk on), children playing, slow bicycle riders (often riding in tandem or by 3's), street venders, trucks, buses, cars and more; all on poorly paved streets and roads - confusion galore.

So, if you really do want to ride a motorbike in the HCMC area, just be most alert, conscious and careful and NEVER feel too relaxed on the bike. Good Luck.

That pretty well sums it up.

A few off the top of my head:
1)  Ride like you are invisible
2)  If my wheel is in front of yours even by 1 cm, I have the right-of-way
3) 1% of the natives will look before pulling out in front of you (see number 2)
4) If you have a collision, no matter what happened, it is your fault
5) Just because the light is red doesn't mean you have to stop or stay stopped
6) Riding down the curb on the wrong side of the road is both illegal and common, so stay at least a meter away from the side of the road
7) The road surface is just as hard here as it is in the west, so don't think that a Vietnamese-style "helmet" is going to be of much help when you need it
8) Always have between 200 and 500,000 Vietnamese dong separate from the rest of your money so that when you are asked to contribute to the police, they don't see how much you have
9) If you are going to ride bike over 175 cc, you need an A2 license or an IDL with a motorcycle endorsement from your home country
10) Always remember that they are not out to kill you, it just seems like they are
11) Size matters and bigger wins. If you're lucky, the trucks and buses will give you enough room.
12)  The intercity minivans on the other hand, will do their best to kill you.
13) Leave the road rage at home
14) Enjoy!

Look "both ways" on a one way street
Your turn signal may have no bearing on  wether the guy behind will  pass you on the left
Drive to close to the bike in front of you and you wont see the little old lady crossing the street in front of him
To be cautious follow the three "any" rule
ANYbody  can do ANYthing at ANYtime

Never day dream.   Be prepared for anything.   Anything can happen anywhere.   Motorists can come from 6 directions at anytime.  Dont expect anyone to follow any rules.   Usually they do..but often they dont.     Cars are often the worst offenders.   Dont go ino an intersection without looking cafefully...no matter what the signal shows.   Watch for short or handicapped people crossing the street.     Practice driving late at night with little traffic.    Avoid the police even if youve done nothing wrong.  Imagine you are in school of fish.   Stay with your school of fish. Make a left turn in groups if you can.   Ok thats enough....i have nothing specific....nor can i spell.  Good luck

Honk your horn/blower/hooter 20 times for every kilometer traveled.

Honk your horn frantically as you drive across in front of traffic, this will make everyone stop for you as youre so important.

Best honkers of the horn are old guys who drive down the road and use it when there is nobody anywhere near them.

Be very aware of middle aged ladies on old bikes with big floppy hats pulled down under their helmets and talking on the phone. This restricts their vision to about twenty percent, but they dont care as they are the only person on the road