Blood on the Highway Part 2

During our last extended stay in Vietnam in 2008, Eric postulated that Hanoi was the most dangerous city to drive in on the planet. He was wrong. Saigon is worse. Simply put, there are more cars and bikes than there is road space. About a million times more. Add the fact that Vietnamese don't know the traffic laws or don't want to follow them, and that buses don't count people on motorbikes as human, and you have a road fatality rate that rivals countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. You know. Places where there's terrorists; road side bombs; tanks; snipers; etc. War zones.

However. We love riding motorbikes around here. Even preggers. There's no other way to get where you want quick, but also experience the sounds, smells, and weather of the city. Cabs and cars separate you from the chaos that is real Saigon. Plus, it's better than any roller coaster I've ever been on.

Eric, Pearce and I on our motorbike. My baby bump is 5 months and 2 weeks.


No parking lots in the city. So parking is on the sidewalk.

The parking garage at the Intercontinental.

Pearce poses with his hands up. Not sure why. He loves going on the bike. He usually pretends the other motorists are "bad guys," and spends our transits shooting them with his fingers. The locals stare a lot.

A short driving montage of Saigon.