Commuting by bicycle

ssuprnova wrote:

Hello

Does anyone here commute by bicycle? I'm thinking of getting one for short trips around the neighborhood at first but eventually switching to the pedal-powered alternative. Any tips or advice for a beginner cyclist in HCMC? Thanks!

I think modes of transportation in Việt Nam is still based on a class/status thing.  You see the rich people ride automobiles/cars (kind of like the kings and nobles) or higher end motorbikes like SHs and Piaggios.  You see the trader/merchant class drive delivery trucks or use motorbikes.  The peasant class use bicycles or very old motorbikes.  The children/students class use bicycles.  The rich class also use the racing 10-speeds for entertainment. 

So I don't see people using them for daily commute on a regular scale.  My advice is be very cautious because there also is a Confucius/Darwinian type of mentality when it comes to vehicles as well, namely the bigger vehicle always has the right of way but also must pay the medical bills in an accident.  I almost lost the other day riding my motorbike versus a Hoa Mai shuttle van that was going the wrong way IN MY LANE.  I wasn't ready for them to pay for my hospital bill.  Bicycles are near the bottom of the food chain and usually lose out during a wreck. 

We just had a thread about an English Teacher losing his life to a large truck while riding a bicycle.

Let me find that thread.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=299753


So bottom line advice - stick with the motorbike.  Bicycle out in the countryside for fun (on a road with wide shoulders).