Usually, I wave to those people or we race each other down the street. I have not lost a single race, yet!
In the United States, many people use cars, subway systems, and public buses. Many of my students have told me that cars are very expensive in Vietnam. This is because people have to pay a tax when they buy a car. For example, if someone in the United States bought a new Toyota Camry, it would cost $22,000. If someone bought the same car in Vietnam, it would cost $61,000. That is a huge difference! It is no wonder, then, that motorbikes outnumber cars, here. As for subway or metro systems, Vietnam does not have either of those yet. However, there are plans in Ho Chi Minh City to build Vietnam's first subway system. The builders want to finish the project by 2020. Vietnam also has a lot of public buses for people to use. I used one with some of my students and I was thankful that I was not alone. A bus attendant will ask where you are going and collect money for the bus driver.
When I first arrived in Vietnam, I was very afraid of motorbikes. I had never used one in the United States. I thought that I would fall off of the bike and hurt myself. For many weeks, I refused to ride one. Some of my friends noticed that I did not want to ride a motorbike, so, they tried to convince me that riding on a motorbike is fun and exciting. They said, "You'll feel the wind rushing through your hair. You will get to your destination faster and it is less expensive than a taxi." I thought about what they had said for a long time. Finally, I decided to try riding on a motorbike when I stayed with a host family in Hanoi, which is Vietnam's capital.
