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N
othing is more pleasurable than
sitting in the front of a cyclo on
a beautiful Saigon evening while
the driver peddles past the city’s
great sights. You will see the city in a dif-
ferent light, minus the usual rapid pace.
One tourist, Thomas Neves, from Brazil,
says that the cyclo is a special part of the
Vietnamese street experience: “For me,
sitting in a cyclo is much better than a fast
taxi or motorbike. I can explore the city
in comfort while the driver talks to me,
albeit with very limited English. It’s well
worth spending time on your vacation to
try this out.”
To Van Loc, standing member of
the executive board of the Cyclo Union
(
Nghiep doan xich lo
) of District 1, says
many travel agencies have signed con-
tracts with the union for tours around
city attractions.
“Many tourists say they will not join
a tour if there is no cyclo tour included,”
says Loc, “therefore, we always have a
long waiting list of travel agency book-
ings. Our biggest partners are Vietravel,
Saigon Tourist and Indochina.”
However, in Ho Chi Minh City cyclos
are only allowed on a few streets in the
city centre for fear that they may cause
traffic issues. Compounding the issue, cy-
clo drivers cannot ride on many of the
streets tourists usually visit, such as Dong
Khoi, Le Loi, and Nguyen Hue. This regula-
tion causes a lot of trouble for cyclo driv-
ers as well as travel agencies.
To Van Loc says although the Cyclo
Union is under the Federation of Labour
of District 1 and is a legal entity, its drivers
always have to watch out on their routes
or their cyclos will be confiscated. “We did
ask for support from several unions and
organisations but we cannot change the
situation. More and more streets are be-
ing added to the red list,” Loc complains.
The Cyclo Union of District 1 was
established in the1990s with more than
800 members, but now only 50 remain.
Loc wonders whether more drivers will
quit their jobs and the demand of tourists
won’t be met: “I’m afraid that this typical
feature of Saigon’s streets will disappear
soon,” he says.
Huynh Van Hoa, a driver of the Union,
says he has been a member for around
17 years. “When the city started to ban
cyclos in the centre, many other drivers
changed their job. The rest, like me, are
old and cannot do anything else, so we
continued,” he says.
One of the problems that prevents
tourists from taking a cyclo is overpric-
ing. Michael Roy from Canada voiced his
concerns: “We usually don’t trust things
being sold on the streets – we fear that
we maybe cheated. Travelling by cyclo is
the same.”
However, tourists can feel assured
when they opt for drivers from
Nghiep
doan xich lo
District 1
. Hoa says driv-
ers of the union do not ask for more
money from their guests. They earn from
VND100,000-200,000 ($5-10) a day.
The average price is around VND50,000
($2.5) per hour. Besides, most of their
guests have signed contracts with the
union so they do not have to worry about
being cheated.
Alongside being banned from many
streets, cyclo drivers also face difficulties
in communicating with tourists. They can
only speak a little English, enabling them
to talk aboout prices and routes.
“I felt more comfortable because
my driver could speak a little English,”
says Thomas Neves. “He was not good
enough to explain much as a tour guide,
but I could still understand his words. I
think it would be perfect if he could be
a tour guide.”
Ann Michaud, from Canada, agrees:
“It would be more interesting if the cy-
clo driver could tell me about the tourist
attractions or the city history when I’m
being taken from one place to another.”
Understanding the demand, the Cycle
Union of District 1 has invited teachers to
teach its members English. “We organise
English classes twice a year for the drivers
to learn to communicate with foreigners,”
Loc says. “However, with such a small
amount of learning, they cannot speak
well enough to be a tour guide”.
Recently, some provinces and cities
such as Hue, Danang and Ho Chi Minh
City have considered projects to create a
cyclo tourist service. They envisage cyclos
being redesigned and cyclo drivers being
trained to introduce tourists to attrac-
tions. Hopefully, those projects will be
launched soon to preserve and develop
the iconic cyclo.
timeout
41
40
timeout
A Vietnamese icon
The cyclo
slice of life
The cyclo was the pri-
mary means of transport
in Vietnam’s cities in the
1940s and today they are a
defining feature of Ho chi
Minh City - one of the few
places where cyclo drivers
still ply their trade. Words
by
Hoa Bui
LIFESTYLE