Every year at the end of January or early February (depending upon the Lunar calendar), thousands of people living in Ho Chi Minh City flock to their hometowns and provinces to visit their families for 1-2 weeks to celebrate Tet. It's a wonderful time of festive gatherings, family dinners and fireworks. But alongside the card games and visiting with relatives there is something people secretly enjoy during Tet sometimes even more than the special rice cakes – uncrowded, empty streets.
When asked, a good number of locals in Saigon listed ‘no traffic’ as one of the wonderful benefits the Tet holidays brings. Surprising? Probably not, when you consider their daily commute consists of enough bumps, grinds and invasion of personal space that would make even Paris Hilton uncomfortable. The chance to enjoy unhurried travel through the city streets is a wonderful treat. Thousands and thousands of scooters gone for two weeks. Perfect.
You’re able to cruise down Dong Khoi Street and actually have a chance to check out the architecture and scenery around you. And ride the way Hells Angels do completely mask free so you can enjoy the cool breeze on your face, and maybe even chat with other bikers. Best of all, there’s no one around you forcing you to inch closer to the bike in front of you at a red light. Ultimately, your bike riding experience during Tet can be a liberating and an enjoyable one.
We’re already looking forward to next Tet, so we can practice our best Kate Winslet pose.
See you on the road.
Great post! Funny bits about Paris Hilton and the Titanic shot. Keep it up.
ReplyDelete