The culture of lanes being suggestions, constant honking that you learn is not rude like in the US, and the collectivist “everyone needs to get where they are going” attitude that makes it feel relatively predictable and possible to navigate.
Another Vietnamese transportation staple is the coach, sleeper buses, one of which I took to HCMC this past weekend for the first time. For 230k each way (9 dollars), you get a personal pod with a bed on a 5.5-hour bus ride. The pods have a decently comfortable bed that fits even me, a 6 '3’’ man. The ride was smooth and we stopped halfway at a gigantic rest area that served fresh meals, perfect for a mid-journey refuel. Just make sure you use the restroom before you get on or at the stop, because they will not stop anywhere else and there are no bathrooms on the bus. The drivers are notorious for going very fast, which makes for a bumpy ride. I have yet to take one overnight, but I am confident that I would be able to get a manageable amount of sleep on one of these buses. For the price, it seems like the best way to travel within the region.
The most interesting place that I visited this week was definitely Ho Chi Minh City. Due to the sheer size, I was only able to experience a very small, touristy part, but even that was an amazing time. Did you know that HCMC has a larger population than NYC?
