Tours from the back of a motorbike have become very popular in Saigon in recent years. They’re not for the faint hearted. Saigon’s streets are chaotic and usually stinking hot. The fumes can be overwhelming too - so much so that your rider will likely be wearing a facemask.
But travellers are taken with the idea that jumping on the back of a motorbike is the ultimate way to see the city as the locals do. And for most, it’s a great experience.
Motorcycle taxis, known as xe om, have long been a popular way for locals and tourists to get around the city. Saigon Vespa Adventures were the first to take this interest and turn it into a fully fledged business operation - using lovely old, slightly awkward, reconditioned Vespas.
Since then the imitators have flourished.
Another popular option is XO tours, where the riders are young girls clad in traditional Vietnamese ao dais.
Both Vietnam Vespa Adventures and XO tours offer city tours, street food tours and nightlife tours. They’re inevitably fairly light in content and high in fun.
If you’re up for a few hours weaving through the madness and the fumes like a local, this is a blast.
Vietnam Vespa Adventures
Tel: +84 1222993585
169 A De Tham, D1, Ho Chi Minh
www.vietnamvespaadventures.com
XO Tours Saigon
www.xotours.vn
Disclosure
I travelled anonymously on a Saigon Vespa Adventures city tour and paid in full for the experience. It was light but fun. The nightlife tour is their most popular.
Note on insurance
Many motorbike tour companies propose to offer insurance. Check the fine print though and you’ll usually find that the coverage limits are very low. Don’t expect your European or US medical bills to be covered should things come unstuck out there. You may also find that the travel insurance you have purchased back home is not valid on the tour. Something else worth checking.
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