The cycle (xich lo), from the French cyclo-pousse, is the best invention since sliced bread. Cycles offer cheap and environmentally friendly transportation around Vietnam's sprawling cities.

Groups of cyclo drivers always hang out near major hotels and markets, and many speak at least broken English. To make sure the driver understands where you want to go, it's useful to bring a city map. Bargaining is imperative. Settle on a fare before going anywhere or you're likely to get stiffed.

As a basic rule, short rides around town should cost about 5000d. For a longer ride or a night ride, expect to pay double that or more. It pays to have the exact change when taking a cyclo, as drivers may claim they don't have change. Cycles are cheaper by time rather than distance. A typical price is US$1 per hour.

There have been many stories of travellers being mugged by their cycio drivers in HCMC so, as a general rule of thumb, hire cyclos only during the day. When leaving a bar late at night, take a meter taxi.

Bus

Cyclo

Taxi

Xe dap loi & Xe loi

Xe lam

Xe om