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Feb 13, 2019 / 16:44

Foreigner instructs how to cross the street in Ho Chi Minh City traffic

Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon, is home to 13 million people and about 8 million motorbikes.

Christine Sarkis, a senior editor from Smarter Travel and participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, has written the story and taught holidaymakers how to cross the street in Ho Chi Minh City traffic.
 
Foreigner teaches how to cross the street in Ho Chi Minh City traffic.
Foreigner teaches how to cross the street in Ho Chi Minh City traffic.
The writer advises travelers that to be a pedestrian in Ho Chi Minh City is to discover both the strength and weakness of this city. Sights in the downtown: the beautiful Central Post Office, the lively Saigon Opera House, and the bustling Ben Thanh Market among them are within easy walking distance of each other. But to walk from one to another, you’re going to have to cross some daunting streets.
So, how to cross the street in Ho Chi Minh City? Firstly, you have to take a deep breath. Next, angle your body and your gaze toward the oncoming traffic. Raise one arm in the air and as soon as there’s enough space to begin without getting immediately hit by a vehicle, step off the sidewalk and into the street. Walk slowly ans steadily, watching the traffic and keeping your arm up.
Fight the urge to speed up, dodge scooters, and generally frogger your way across the street. As long as you are walking steadily and confidently, you are a predictable moving object in the eyes of motorists. Start darting and you break the system, the editor advises.
The number of visitors to Ho Chi Minh in 2018 was estimated at 36.5 million, of the total, 7.5 million were foreigners, which is an increase of 17.38% against 2017’s number, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.
The city enjoyed a robust growth in tourism development in 2018 with revenues of VND140 trillion (USD6.1 billion), or 21.55% increase compared to the previous year’s figure.