traffic in Ho Chi Minh City
I'm getting more comfortable with the scooter traffic. it's just like people walking only with the scooter as an extension of their bodies, and obviously they can go much faster, but they can also stop on a dime (at least in traffic). It reminds me of the Berkeley campus with people walking in all different directions but weaving in and around each other, just they do it on bikes! If you've ever been to New Delhi, it is not as bad as that. For one thing, there is very little honking, and none of the cars look like have ever swapped paint with another though motorbikes do occasionally touch. It's definitely more aggressive than Cambodia where they are so polite, taking turns going, creating an imaginary 4-way stop in the middle of the intersection. Here several bikes join together like a pack of dogs gathering force to push across traffic to turn left, with their engines growling. Here's a video of them doing just that:
Here is another video of typical traffic, bikes close to each other and moving around cars:
One last quick video where you can see them going across traffic weaving around each other:
There are also some beautiful bridges here that are lit up at night. Here are two of my favorites:
gorgeous bridge #1 closer
gorgeous bridge #2
Cosmo consents to do a selfie with me on the scooter
My last night there, I took Cosmo on his first scooter ride! His thoughts: too loud and too windy. He did occasionally pop his head out to look about and let me take a selfie with him. At a stoplight he actually came all the way out and tried to wrap himself around my head but I managed to pop him back into his bag. We came out to see this pedestrian only area which is supposed to have food and entertainment at night but no one was there so we wandered around it a bit and then went home. I think he liked the ride home better so he’s getting used to it. 
Cosmo's first scooter ride
Cosmo decides to come out of the bag on the scooter ride
This featured blog entry was written by nutmeg2000 from the blog My Semester off for travel 2025.
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