Vietnamese Motorscooter Culture

All countries are unique in their own way, but one feature of Vietnam that really stands out is the number of motorcycles in all cities and villages. They are used for commuting, shopping, delivery, taxis, 'trucking', family wagons with often two adults and two kids on one cycle, and stores where goods are sold, we even saw someone prepping up meat on a motorcycle mounted cutting board and then disappearing to deliver it to a small restaurant! We can't vouch for the accuracy, but our guide Tom had said 40% of the population owns a motorcycle. They are cheap - about 400-500 USD brand new for 50cc scooters. These don't require a license and can be driven by 16 year olds. The laws very much favor them too. They have the right of way over both cars and pedestrians, are allowed to turn on red lights and pedestrian green crossing lights, and can even drive on sidewalks if traffic is jammed. It is interesting to see people side saddle, wearing high heels, often fully shielded from the sun, a passenger covering up their head with a cloth if its raining and, typically, flip flops or open toed sandals while on a cycle.Read more