Getting Around Ho Chi Minh City: Transport Guide

Visitors to Ho Chi Minh City are instantly dumbstruck by the mayhem and melee that passes for the traffic system – mopeds, bikes, motorcycles, buses, cars, jeeps and minivans all darting in and around each other accompanied by an endless tooting of horns. To get to the city from the airport, you can either travel by a white airport taxi or a yellow Vinataxi. Prohibitive fares make cabs unfeasible for most people and the bus service is extremely erratic at the best of times. The best way to get around the city is on cyclos. There are over 50,000 of them in Ho Chi Minh City and are driven by former POWs who speak and understand enough English to get by.  Other options are Xe lams - three wheeler buggies that are packed to bursting as they do duty as buses or Honda Oms – Honda motorbikes that take pillion passengers on a fairly hair-raising ride to their destination. If you are able to do so, then just walk around the city – that’s really the best way to enjoy Ho Chi Minh city.