HCM Streets

Pictures by QT Luong

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The streets of Saigon (renamed Ho Chi Minh city in 1975), are always full of human energy. First, there is the incessant traffic. The noise is constant, as there are an estimated 2 million of motorcycles, which are currently the mode of transportation of choice. The density of traffic can be mind-boggling, and it is a miracle that one can actually cross a street amidst the almost continuous flow. The experience is terrifying at first, but after a while, one get used to walking slowing and deliberately so that the pilots can anticipate your moves and avoid you without having to stop. Although there numbers are falling, there are still many cyclos which can take you for a human-powdered ride in the freshness of the night, as well as bicycles ridden with elegance by girls in immaculate Ao Dais.

The sidewalks do not have anything to envy to the pavement in terms of action, as people spend much of their lives on the streets, in what is an open and communal lifestyle. They would study, play, eat, have a haircut, watch TV with family and friends, take a nap, all on the sidewalks. Those who sleep there often do so not because they are homeless (watch how clean they are), but to enjoy the freshness of a breeze.

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