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.8down

Im in Vietnam now things are very different, scooters run wild in the streets, if you thought riding a bike in your city was hard you should see this...lanes mean nothing left turns=possible death, yet everyone manages to live though it. there is no such thing as road rage, being cut off is everyday happening. Next time you think you got it bad, trust me you don't.

Thai

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Steven Jackson

I had some bad dieareeuh today.

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foofighter

wow dude post up some pics! bring me back a vest from north face will ya!

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dutch

its totally because people over there aren't on cell phones while riding their scooters or driving their cars.

el_d00der1n0

Someone got the "this thread is useless without pics" thing?

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Impy

This is so true! I was there in november - traffic is so crazy - flows like some huge organism - to even cross the street there is death defying - you just take a deep breath and step out in the street and hold your line...the scooters somehow part around you.

I did bike ride quite a bit although less so in the big cities. Did see a lot of scooter accidents (and noone wears helmets). I never could adequately capture a still that conveyed all the scooters everywhere, with all their riders wearing bandannas on their faces ..

Link to some pictures..

Local kid in Saigon, with a few scooters in the background, doesn't even convey it..



5 on a scooter (quiet street in hue)




Schoolkids head home for lunch in the country - on the main highway I might add

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dudevf1

No product liability, no class action, no pollution controls...Not saying that's good or bad...On another note, this is just a small example of a contributing factor to higher gas prices--the rest of the world is hitting the road.

foofighter

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tkblazer

no wonder they don't know how to drive when they come here

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Guero: dayum, i wish i went. alarm went off and everything, even got a call from nam at 745 but i couldnt get out of my bed, it was too warm.

ChariotsOfTires

Was in Viet Freakin Nam in 01. Love Saigon. Bump it being called Ho Chi Minh. Keep the original name.

Pain Freak

I have a friend who just recently rode thru Vietnam. He is riding around the world and he says Vietnam has been one of the highlights. His words "It seems the less people have to share, the more they do". People are sincerly friendly over there and love to talk to outsiders. Living conditions have improved dramatically over the last 10 years.

My friend still has got Australia to do, then back to CA where it'll be complete.

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el_d00der1n0

I spent about three months on Java. It was pretty crazy. I think I got some of my driving skills from that place. When you get off and on a bus, they don't usually stop. You have to hit the ground running. Often roads there will have a divider that will have more traffic going the same direction on the other side. A bus dropped me off once on one of those dividers, and I started walking, stepped over the divider, and got my foot run over by a taxi cab.

Those were the days. I miss Asia. I've been wanting to go to Viet Nam, Taiwan, or maybe back to Indo for a while now...

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.8down

Heay all Im in Saigon now and its hot again, Ha Noi was much nicer, I got tons of pics to share but now USB wire to up load them with plus internet is a bit slow here and I don't think it would finish up loading by the time I get home. , most of the vids are true, right now Im on a plane like every t3 or for days, and will be back in the US by the end of March. Duan I looked around and they only have North Face bags, I thought about it and its like 90 degrees here year around I dont think they need fleece here, so I may have to dissapoint you on that end. Sorry Bub.

Im glad some of you have made the jouney over, the people here are so welcoming and nice. My Girlfriends relatives feed me as if I was there son. but life I guess is very hard from what they say. people who work in big companies like Canon and Nike make 60-70 Dollars an Month. more to come if I get a chance....

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.8down

hey guys, sorry the internet is super slow here so posting pictures will be a challenge, currently Im in a small town 4 hours off of Saigon, where the 2 wheels rule the road.

Glad to see that some of you have made it out to Vietnam and have seen a different side of the world. It's been an eye opener for me as this is my first visit back since I was 4 years old. Everyone is very nice and friendly, and my girlfriend's relatives have already accepted me in the family, hahaha

her uncle was saying how life is very hard and that during breakfast you think aobu thow to get lunch and during lunch you think about how to get dinner...the Family is first here, people live in different houses but are right next to each other, and the women of the family come together to make one giant meal. keeping the work load of each family down...really different way of life, to say the least, I have tons of pictures and will post some of the highlights up when I can. For now hello from Sai gon....

hey guys, sorry the internet is super slow here so posting pictures will be a challenge, currently Im in a small town 4 hours off of Saigon, where the 2 wheels rule the road.

Glad to see that some of you have made it out to Vietnam and have seen a different side of the world. It's been an eye opener for me as this is my first visit back since I was 4 years old. Everyone is very nice and friendly, and my girlfriend's relatives have already accepted me in the family, hahaha

her uncle was saying how life is very hard and that during breakfast you think aobut how to get lunch, and during lunch you think about how to get dinner...the Family is first here, people live in different houses but are right next to each other, and the women of the family come together to make one giant meal. keeping the work load of each family down, if you work in a large factory like Canon or Nike you mak about 60-70 american dollars... A MONTH!!! I think I spend that much on gas in a about 2 weeks if not less...really different way of life, to say the least, I have tons of pictures and will post some of the highlights up when I can. For now hello from Sai gon....

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.8down

most have helmets now, I guess a law was passed a few years back...I actaully kind of like the helmets here and considering getting one for snowboarding, but my bags are filled with gifts and clothing from Thailand...

those are great pictures, I have small vids of the streets in Ha Noi. Kinda nutty

ah mate I can't they seem to only have backpacks. I guess I didnt think about it. but fleece is pretty useless to a viet in vietnam where its 90 degrees all the time... In Ha Noi it gets cold, but their cold is aobut 50 degrees

Im not sure if you meant keep it being called Sai gon or not but if you didn't then I think the original name is Saigon, everyone here still calls it that, it was renamed Ho chi Minh after Saigon fell to the north, even the Ha Noi people call it Saigon...its kinda like the little small thing we as viet's do to show a bit of pride to the vietnam that wasn't ruled by communism. I still say I was born in Saigon, till this day.

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foofighter

when you coming back to the states?

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.8down

Saturday Afternoon, I was just out in a remote area of Can Thu which is about 4 hours from Saigon, I have no clue what these people do out there but apparently the lady just waters the plants and the man just walks around all day . they are in there 60's I think, had a nice chat with her for 45 mins, she did most of the talking...and I askd a few questions. pretty interesting, a bit on the 3rd world side of life, but again they were very nice and welcoming. Tomorrow I will visit my Grand father who is 107 from all accounts. Oh I got to drive one of the scooters, hella fun, wish we could do that in the US but people drive much slower here, and they will stop for you if you need to turn, it seems chaotic but there is a system.... So far a great trip and interesting...

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foofighter

cool dude sounds like you're having a good time...cant wait to see the pics when you get back.

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