Saigon by Motorbike: Night Food Rides, the Districts You Cannot Walk To, and Riding Pillion Safely

Saigon has eight million motorbikes and the city is designed around them. The famous sights of District 1 are walkable, but the city that Saigonese live in, the alleys of District 4, the Chinese shophouses of Cholon, the canal-side cafes of District 3, the food streets of Binh Thanh, is a motorbike's world, and a pillion tour reaches five districts in an evening. The format was invented here in the 2010s by student-run companies, many with all-women driver teams, and it remains the best-reviewed thing to do in the city.

The standard evening ride starts around 17:30 and eats its way across the city: banh xeo sizzling crepes in District 3, a Cholon noodle house, grilled seafood or snails on plastic stools in District 4, a bo la lot (beef in betel leaf) stall, a broken-rice plate, coconut ice cream or che dessert, and a rooftop or a bia hoi for the last stop, six to eight tastings in four hours. Everything is included. The drivers are the guides and eat with you. The street food guide lists the dishes if you go alone.

Daytime rides cover the sights with less heat than walking: the Reunification Palace, the post office and Notre Dame, the War Remnants Museum, Cholon's Thien Hau temple and Binh Tay market, the Thu Thiem side of the river for the skyline, and a coffee in a hidden apartment cafe. Half-day rides out of the city reach the Cu Chi tunnels (70 km each way on the bike, a long day) or the Long An rice country. Vintage Vespa rides use restored 1960s scooters at a premium.

Drivers hold Vietnamese licences and the companies carry insurance; helmets are provided and legally required; the pace is the traffic's, which in Saigon means rarely above 30 km/h. Wear closed shoes and long trousers, and hold the grab bar, not the driver. Self-riding needs a licence with a motorcycle category and a 1968-convention international permit; without one the police can fine you and travel insurance will not pay for an accident, which is why a pillion tour is the answer.

Evening food rides book out a day or two ahead from December to February. Solo travellers pay a seat, not a supplement. Rain ponchos are handed out in the wet season and rides go ahead in drizzle; the 17:30 start usually clears the afternoon storm. Combine with a Cu Chi morning for a full first day.