Field trip: The bicycles of Vietnam

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by admin
March 03, 2014
2 min read

Valerie just got back from Vietnam, where she was on a two-week foodie trip. Over there, in Saigon, Hoi An, Hue, and Hanoi, she caught sight of a lot of very cool, workaday bicycles in Vietnam, especially for commerce. Here are some of her favorite bike pics from Vietnam.

My favorite bike store of all, a bicycle sweet shop making bo bia ngot, seen in Hanoi. Bo bia ngot is a rice crepe wrapped up with sugar cane, coconut, and toasted black sesame.

A complete bicycle soup kitchen, with a fired-up coal-burning stove on back. Seen in Hanoi.

Bicycle carrying cargo, seen in Saigon.

Bicycle carrying cargo, seen in Hoi An.

A complete store on wheels, seen in Hanoi. One of the hazards of modernization, engined vehicles now outnumber pedal power in the cities. This is a huge change for Vietnam just in the past decade. Mopeds and motorcycles have squeezed out bicycles to become the dominant form of transportation, with the number of cars quickly rising despite stiff import taxes. There are still plenty of bicycles carrying immense cargo loads, bicycle businesses, and bicycle commuters, as well as pedestrians carrying yoked cargo. All three together were a common scene in the smaller and mid-sized towns. Cyclists come in all ages and styles. Youngsters can't get a license to ride a moped/motorcycle until 18 but they can get a license to ride certain low-speed mopeds and engined bikes at 16. Anyone can ride a bicycle, of course, young and old alike.

Cyclists wear masks in Vietnam for the pollution and to protect their skin.

A gentleman cyclist in front of French-Vietnamese architecture

3 forms of transportation, in Hue, Vietnam

Three forms of transportation in one picture in Hue, Vietnam Classic cycles and early mopeds at CÃ PhÃª Xe Cá»•, a coffee shop with an antiquities collection, in downtown Hanoi: