Getting around in Ho Chi Minh City is can be cheap. It can even be free depending on your physical fitness and tolerance of heat. Most of the central districts can be covered on foot in a reasonable amount of time. Getting around in a vehicle can be easy, if you know what to do (an if you avoid being on the roads at rush hour).

However, the traffic can be quite intense at times. Either driving or riding on the back of a motorcycle during rush hour is both exhilarating and tiring. At any given time, there are bound to be three or four other vehicles within an arms length of you. Merely crossing the street is a chore during these hours as traffic signals are viewed more as suggestions than laws. Enforcement of traffic laws is getting better, but the problem is much too big for a few traffic cops to remedy.

During the rainy season, taxis are the preferred form of transit. They are relatively cheap. Because Ho Chi Minh is a compact metropolis, it is possible to get most places in the city for just a few dollars. Make sure the meter is running when you get in and make sure the distance traveled reads zero. Most, if not all, taxis have air conditioning, a godsend on brutally hot April afternoons.

Motorbike taxis (xe om) are a convenient, albeit dangerous mode of transit. The ability to weave past larger and slower vehicles and to take short cuts makes this form of transit best for getting around quickly. However, roads, especially at rush hour (as stated above), are the definition of madness. However, there is nothing better than riding past the neon and florescent lights of a Saigon night while enjoying a cool breeze. Many xe om drivers, especially in tourist areas, speak English and can act as pseudo-guides as well as drivers. You’ll have to agree on a price first.

If you want to give it a go on your own, motorbike and bicycles are for rent at various guesthouses and tourist shops around town.

Crossing the street is even a chore. The only rule, avoid crossing if a truck or car is bearing down on the strip of street you intend to cross on. The majority of vehicles are motorcycles. They will move around you as long as you walk at a slow, even pace. It’s a bit crazy, but it works.

Getting around Ho Chi Minh City can be an adventure. Still, everything is usually quite convenient and, above all, cheap.