by Wan Azfarozza Wan Athmar
“To the cemetery!” That was the last text I received from my friend when I told him that I’ll be booking a motorcycle ride going around Ho Chi Minh. It was a sarcastic remark that I was risking my life taking a motorcycle ride exploring the city.
I knew he had a point. But in situations that I had to endure while I was there, one must be brave to make that decision. Situations here meant the temperature reached 39 degrees and I felt like a raisin (a dehydrated grape) while walking in the streets of Ho Chi Minh. As a pedestrian I was also putting myself to potentially getting honked incessantly or being sacrificed on the road – the latter is an exaggeration but it felt like it. For convenient purposes taking a motorcycle ride seemed harmless.
Before making the decision to book a motorcycle ride, I was like any other tourist or traveler who came to Ho Chi Minh for the first time , with dreams of walking past shops and back alleys, and soaking in the culture getting up close and personal with local people. But now I know being a pedestrian in Ho Chi Minh is not for the faint-hearted. Especially if it is your first time stepping foot in Ho Chi Minh. I have been to other cities in Vietnam like Da Nang and Nha Trang but I have never seen so many cars, especially motorcycles like Ho Chi Minh. In all honesty, I was taken aback by the traffic. I felt intimidated. I felt like I was going to a battlefield.
Around noon my motorcycle rider arrived at the agreed meeting point. It was at one of the Muslim Restaurants near Ben Thanh Market. Side note, the pho was delicious and it is guaranteed Halal. My rider was a young man who introduced himself as Asher, in his early 20s who was currently taking his Master’s in architecture at a local university. I was in good hands. I expressed my concerns over the massive traffic and he assured me he was a skillful motorcyclist and there was no need to worry. That made me even more worried. But, life is about taking chances. So, I put that helmet on, got comfortable on the back seat, and was ready to be part of the traffic madness.
Three and a half hours exploring the city with a motorcycle, Asher might be one of the most patient tourist guides I have ever met. At the beginning of the ride he had to hear constantly telling him to be careful, startled ever so often either because of the honks or the 1-inch distance between my knee and the other motorcyclists on the road or hearing me laughing when cars and motorcyclists came out of nowhere. I was laughing because I was scared but it was also exciting. It was a surge of adrenaline that made my emotions at the time as chaotic as the traffic in Ho Chi Minh.
I managed to visit the War Remnants Museum, the flower market, the floating market, Ho Chi Minh Post Office, and the book street. As time went by I felt a bit more relaxed exploring the city riding the motorcycle. That 1-inch knee distance from other motorcyclists no longer bothered me much. Surprisingly I felt I was now part of Ho Chi Minh and its people. Riding through the madness which was systematic. Everyone knew where to go and when to give way to other road users. There was no road rage, no people yelling or cursing, and everyone looked calm and composed. The only people who looked lost and confused were the ones like me, first-time travelers to Ho Chi Minh. Despite the crazy traffic, when I was there, I witnessed no accidents at all. That was kind of impressive to me.
Around 5 pm Asher sent me back to my hotel. All in one piece safe and sound. Not even a scratch. I was happy and content that I got to experience first-hand traffic madness in Ho Chi Minh. The experience of riding a motorcycle was not the same as walking around the city. It was a whole other level of getting yourself excited and scared at the same time. I did not end up in a cemetery but I think I did pass one. Can’t really ascertain that because my view was a sea of cars and motorcycles. I survived the chaotic systematic traffic in Ho Chi Minh.
