10 Tips for Safer City Cycling in Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City
Are you have a bicycle and wonder how can you Cycling in Vietnam traffic?
No worries. Jackfruit gives you some great tips on how to have a safe Vietnam Adventure Cycling trip.
Saigon Ho Chi Minh city is one the busiest city in South East Asia with more than 7 million motorbikes are using in daily life, together with other vehicles like cars, and public buses. There is not really a bicycle lane for riders and you most of the time will ride on the motorbike lane. We hope this article gives you a fresh idea of how to ride in the busy Saigon street!
And bicycles are: Pre-ride – Vietnam Adventure Cycling.
01. Assume car doors will open
- Getting doored is a shockingly common occurrence.
- Be careful when you drive past the parked cars and keep a good distance between yourself and parked cars.
02. Don’t ride in the tailgate vehicles
- Try not to ride into a situation where you don’t have a clear exit. A good example of this is when you are approaching a red light, riding between rows of stationary or slow-moving traffic.
- Don’t get trapped between vehicles as many drivers won’t see you if you’re sitting right next to them when the lights turn green.
- Similarly, the stopping distance of other road users will usually be significantly better than yours, so always keep a sensible distance from the vehicle ahead.
03. Careful around large vehicles
- Far too many accidents still occur that involve cyclists and larger vehicles, and they often have dire consequences.
- Be it a lorry, a bus or a truck, the principles are the same.
- Never be tempted to undertake such a vehicle — huge blind spots mean that drivers can easily be totally unaware of cyclists.
04. Don’t cross the yellow light
- It’s pretty obvious that taking risks at junctions is a bad idea.
- Similarly, running a red light gives the anti-cycling community more ammunition for their smoking gun, so don’t bother.
- Be patient to wait for the yellow lights and you can have a safe ride.
05. Look further ahead
- Here’s a tip that’s universal to all forms of cycling — far too many riders have a glance that is fixed just forward of their front wheel.
- Staying safe on the roads is mostly a game of anticipation, and one way to advance your own anticipation skills is to look further ahead.
06. Ride for yourself
- It’s easy for a beginner to go out and simply follow other riders in traffic but we’d strongly advise against doing this.
- Chances are the decisions they’re making will not be considering your safety, and there’s no guarantee that the person you are following is a good rider anyway.
- Ride for yourself. Have your own cycling ability and safety in mind when riding in traffic.
07. Do not ride over the car lane
- Quite a lot of bike commuters treat the bike lane like an island of safety, unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
- While some are separated by a kerb or pylon, the vast majority are not. Be vigilant! It’s not uncommon for cars to merge into the bike lane, turn in front of you at an intersection and open their doors into the bike lane.
08. Ditch the headphone
- We all love tunes and sometimes a bit of musical morning motivation is needed, but save it until you’ve completed your journey.
- On the bike, your ears are an invaluable asset, and it’s important to hear when vehicles are approaching as well as what’s going on around you.
- Put the ear phones in your pocket and enjoy the ride.
09. Avoid the rush hour
- Early morning and later afternoon are the busy time for traffic.
- If you schedule to ride in week day, try to pick unpopular hours to ride
10. Plan your route
- Riding in traffic in today’s world is a given, especially if you live in a big city like Saigon – Ho Chi Minh. That said, there are usually ways to stick to quieter roads or purpose-built protected infrastructure with a bit of forethought.
- Google Maps offers cycling directions that are usually pretty good, but it’s also worth looking at Strava Heatmaps which show the most popular routes through your area based on activities uploaded to the website.
If you can see a stretch of road that’s particularly popular, there is probably a reason that so many people are riding there.
Jackfruit Adventure has tailored some fo the best route if you want to have a Vietnam adventure cycling, Vietnam cycling tours and bike tour in Vietnam. Enjoy your ride!
