One might call it urbicide . Early in the morning, the streets are so calm you can hear birds singing from cages hanging in the trees. By 8 am, under the shady trees of the Old Quarter, the streets are full to capacity as activity bursts forth. Motorcycles are everywhere, weaving, accelerating, and swerving within a hair s breadth of each other. Everything glides by in woven bamboo baskets elegantly balanced on a bamboo pole.
Kids play soccer, weaving around the pedestrians.
Peddlers hone in on tourists, trying to sell postcards or army-green pith helmets. This unique Vietnamese vehicle is custom-made in small shops around the country. It is a popular mode of transport for tourists and locals alike. And when required, a cyclo can as easily be used for transporting large, bulky and heavy freight. But everybody seems to want a motorbike.