Saigon Unseen

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Many travelers talk about wanting have more local experiences – but how far will you go to get access to those experiences? One of the main things locals do in Saigon is ride motorbikes – so would you get on the back of one to ride around like the locals do?

Most people think that simply crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City is a real-life Frogger game – a death wish. Vietnam is known for its chaotic motorbike traffic, which can be quite intimidating to most tourists. I’ve heard many people say that they would never get on a motorbike in HCMC, let alone drive themselves anywhere. However, my niece and I decided that we wanted to experience the local side of Saigon so much that we did the unthinkable – we became motorbike passengers with Saigon Unseen.

Granted, I had lived there before and drove my own motorbike around the city for months, but for Evie to agree to hop on the back of a motorbike and see the real Saigon was a pretty big step. I was thrilled that she was daring and accepting enough to do this when most visitors would shy away. I honestly have no idea where she gets her willingness to try new things, but I’m just happy she has it, and I hope she keeps it up her whole life.

How to See the Local Side of Saigon

We were ready to see the lesser-seen sights of Saigon – so when our guides, Mr. Sau and Mr. Minh, pulled up on their motorbikes with our helmets, we were pretty excited. We would be riding with them for 4 hours through parts of the city seldom seen by visitors. This was a tour of extremes – one that took us to the poor and rich sections of Vietnam, and it also had us experience the extreme weather conditions too – hot and sunny to rainy season downpours. But we loved every minute of it.

We drove out of District 1 and immediately got into the local markets. We rode through the markets until they became so narrow that we had to get off the motorbikes and walk. People were everywhere buying, selling, and socializing – and we were definitely the only tourists there as we had plenty of people stop and stare at us. But normally, a smile in their direction was enough to wipe the shock off their face and smile back.

We walked while the bikes slowly followed along behind us. We saw skinned frogs and skinned cow heads – now, this is what I mean when I talk about REAL local experiences. You aren’t going to find these types of local goodies at the Ben Thanh Market for tourists.   If you want to see local stuff – then you have to stomach this:

A che vendor caught my eye and my stomach, and quickly, Mr. Sau bought us a little bag of che for later before I could even take out money. After another 20 minutes on the motorbikes, we stopped for coffee and had a chance to stretch our legs. Mr. Sau took us to a little establishment where he bought us café sua da and lime juice where we could enjoy the che that we bought from the market. There were only a few people at the little outdoor tables, but all of them were curious to see us and asked Mr. Sau who we were, our ages, and where we were from.

Mr. Sau then took us through the new tunnel connecting Districts 1 and 2 in Saigon, which was a miracle to me, considering it was just a pile of dirt and a dream when I lived there. The newly constructed tunnel changed the whole dynamic of traffic and would have certainly made my commute easier if I had lived there. I just loved being on the bike going through the tunnel under the river – a fun way to experience the new modern architecture in Saigon.

Mr. Sau was super at taking us places we were interested in. I had told him that Evie was interested in catholic churches, and he took us to a unique place in District 4 that I had never heard of before – Xóm Chiếu Church. The church had a number of statues that Evie recognized, but the most interesting thing about this Spanish-style church in the middle of Saigon was the body of a 100-year-old female Saint that was on display. It’s a bit gory – but interesting. They also had a cemetery inside the church. Apparently, they had dug up an old outdoor cemetery when the land was going to be used for something else, and they gave everyone mini caskets to store the ashes in and stacked them behind glass cubes. I had never seen anything like it.

Next, we rode out to the modern and non-Vietnam-like District 7, Phu My Hung, an area that I used to have to commute through when I was teaching at the factory. Wide streets, big sidewalks, brand-name stores, and modern, slick architecture were everywhere. The new development sort of turns my stomach – I know I should be happy for the Vietnamese for growing – but it’s also so sad to me at the same time. There’s nothing about District 7 that feels like Vietnam to me. It’s sterile, and if the whole country turns into this – then I’m sad to say that I won’t be coming back here. Yet, Vietnam is a long way away from that.

Mr. Sau remarked after we moved out of the new area and turned back into the typical Saigon streets – “We are back in Vietnam now.” I felt relieved to be back in the grittiness. It was time for a lunch stop, so Mr. Sau took us to one of his favorite Pho restaurants. Pho Hung makes their famous broth and then transports it all over the city to different restaurants. However, we were at the heart of the pho broth making and eating at the restaurant itself. Mr. Sau nicely walked us through each step of the pho process of getting ready to eat soup – he didn’t know that we had been OD’ing on it for 2 weeks now!

A cyclo ride in Saigon, Vietnam

Vietnam Rainy Season Strikes!

As we ate, all of a sudden, it sounded as if a freight train had gone by outside. I turned around and looked, and the rain came down in sheets. It rained so hard that it looked like it hurt. And it didn’t stop. As we finished our soup, we watched as the street outside flooded. We took photos and commented and laughed about the various people trying to make it through the quickly rising water. However – eventually, WE had to go out in that stuff too. Mr. Sua got out the extra ponchos and said we could go whenever we wanted to. We put them on and prepared to get wet – really wet. This was going to give Evie a real Saigon experience that not many tourists ever get – riding on a motorbike in the rain.

This was my favorite part honestly – driving around in the rain totally soaked but getting a real feel for what Saigon is like during the rainy season. We made a few more stops at temples and markets before they drove us back to our hotel. We were soaked through and through – but we were also wearing big grins – we had a great time seeing the Saigon most people never get to experience and a unique perspective of the city and culture.

More Information on Saigon Motorbike Tours:
Website – Saigon Unseen
Cost – $45 US
They offer 3 tours – Motor Bikes, Walking and also a photography tour (on motorbikes) with a professional photographer from Australia.