One of the things I found most interesting about Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was the scooter/motorbike culture. HCMC spans 2096 square kilometers, has 8,000,000 people, and what feels like twice that number of motorbikes. That’s a big city. That’s a lot of people and a lot of motorbikes.

I had been warned, both by friends and by travel guides, how hard it was to cross the street. I was ready for this though. I’ve been to Bangkok and Beijing, both cities where pedestrians have no right of way. As a pedestrian, you walk at a consistent pace across the street, trying not to step directly in front of any vehicles, but mostly letting them (narrowly) avoid you. It’s an interesting experience, but certainly doesn’t define the city.

HCMC is different though; the city seems to be built around the motorbike. Everyone, whether it’s a businessman, an old lady, an entire family, a woman and her dog, everyone rides a motorbike. And they have things to do and places to be. Food stands and convenience stores accommodate this by facing the street or sending a runner to make the exchange. No need to dismount just to make a purchase.

Of course, if your goal is to buy something from the interior of a covered market, you’ll have to dismount and park – just kidding! The sidewalks in HCMC are also built around the ubiquity of scooters; the edges are sloped to allow scooters onto them. Simply pop up on the sidewalk and into your market of choice. Aisles 3-5 feet wide are plenty big for a motorbike!

Of course, people also take advantage of the sidewalk design to avoid traffic by driving on the sidewalk. This inventive navigation is clearly less prohibited than it is slightly inconvenient – for the rider of course. Pedestrians are expected to dodge out of the way, a fact made clear through the universal language of the horn. Most sidewalks are also exactly as wide as a motorbike, if there isn’t anyone driving on the sidewalk, it will certainly be used as a parking lot.

All of this, as I’m sure you can imagine, leads to an intense, hectic, feel to the city. My first, admittedly jetlagged, impressions of HCMC was that it’s mentally exhausting to get around. You’re either walking, dodging motorbikes and puddles (the sidewalks don’t hold up well to being ridden over and it rains a lot), or you’re trying to navigate the insane traffic – even driving against the flow of traffic seemed to be perfectly acceptable! I have to admit though, the city, with all of its hustle and bustle, grew on me a lot. I was sure that four nights in the city would be too much, but now I can’t wait to go back!