Local Interest
Saigon Midnight
Motorbike Loop
Words and Photos by VietnamCoracle http :// vietnamcoracle . com
For most of the year , Saigon is just too darn hot , humid , busy and polluted to enjoy during the daylight hours . At night , however , temperatures are cool , humidity is low , traffic is light , and even the air quality seems to improve : it ’ s the perfect time to see the city . After dark , when the office workers , the revellers , the tourists have gone home , Saigon is still there : all its famous buildings are still standing , its waterways still flowing , and even some of its markets and street food vendors are still doing business . Like all great cities , Saigon never really sleeps . Night is also the only time you can actually enjoy riding a motorbike in Saigon . In the small hours , it ’ s possible to leisurely roll down the city ’ s wide , tree-lined boulevards , meander along its waterside avenues , and over its many new bridges . At night , Saigon is a beautiful and easily traversed city . The following guide is an urban route designed specifically for riding after dark : I call it the Saigon Midnight Motorbike Loop .
The Midnight Loop should be treated as a night out : something to be enjoyed , in good company , at a leisurely pace . Ride with a pillion – friend , partner , family member – stop for food and drink every now and then , and just enjoy the ride and the city , because this is the only time you ’ ll get to see and appreciate Saigon on your own terms , at your own pace . A good time to start is 9pm , when the city ’ s traffic begins to dissipate and the streets are calmer and cooler . I ’ ve separated the Midnight Loop into 5 sections according to the city districts it passes through . Although it ’ s not necessary to follow the loop precisely , I ’ ve designed it carefully so that the route moves through each area at the best possible time of night . I ’ ve included information about places of interest along the way , and food or drink outlets that are open late at night . Rainy season nights ( May-October ) are damp and cool , and flickers of lightning dramatically illuminate the city skyline , but it can also be close and clammy . Dry season nights ( November-April ) are very cool and pleasant . almost all to yourself . The lights and ever-growing skyline of downtown District 1 can be seen ahead of you , across the river . Look out for the picnickers on the sidewalk – an endearing , and very Vietnamese , tradition Bear right at the toll-booths before the entrance to the Thu Thiem Tunnel . This slip road leads to the riverfront Thu Thiem Tunnel Park . Another popular haunt for young Saigon lovers , the views across the waterway to District 1 are superb . Follow the road around to the right , across a little bridge , until it leads behind half a dozen gigantic , floodlit advertising billboards . The huge structures stand on a grassy bank , dwarfing the small groups of picnickers sitting below them . It ’ s a surreal , urban-gritty kind of sight , especially at night , with the glare from the floodlights and occasional headlights of passing motorbikes .
14 The MAG Vung Tau