To travel across some of the larger rivers in southern Vietnam, people will use ferry boats that run all day. On the large ferries, people can bring motorbikes, cars and even large freight trucks across rivers. Rice, imports from other countries near Vietnam, and construction materials are sometimes transported by boat too. For some people in Soc Trang, boats also function as homes where families sleep, prepare/share meals, shower and wash clothes.
Before I came to Vietnam, I had never been on a motorbike. When I started teaching in Soc Trang, one of my bosses gave me a motorbike. He taught me how to ride it for about three days. I would drive the bike around the courtyard at the college a few times each day. At the end of the third day, he told me I was ready to take the bike out onto the street. When he said that, I was like "Whaaaat?!" I was honestly terrified that I might get hit while driving or, worse, that I would hit someone. Traffic in Soc Trang is not as busy as it is in places like Sai Gon, the largest city in Vietnam. However, early in the morning and in the late afternoon, the streets in Soc Trang City are filled with motorbikes, cars, trucks and other vehicles. Motorbike accidents are pretty common in Vietnam too. I knew that I had to learn how to drive a motorbike because I need one to drive to the school every day to teach. So, I took small steps. I started driving from the place where I live in Soc Trang to the college, which is about ten minutes away. As I became more comfortable with the bike, I started to drive to places that were farther away. Now, driving a motorbike is less scary for me.
