Ho Chi Minh City - best angle of approach?
 

Hey,

We're in the middle of our 'Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh for Charity' bike trek, we're about 5 days away from HCM now and I was wondering whether anyone had any experience of riding into the city and could suggest the best route to take?

Our experience of riding Highway 1 out (south) of Hanoi was fairly unpleasant (saw a fatal accident on our first afternoon - not the best way to start) and we're fairly keen to avoid a similar experience. If anyone has riden into HCM and could give any advice on what's good and what's not, that would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Adam & Ruth
Adam Kissack is fundraising for The British Red Cross Society - JustGiving

You'll see many fatal bike accidents on that stretch of road - it is probably the worst in the world just because of the sheer volume of small bikes.

However, they are primarily a result of rider incompetence with riders being being oblivious to larger vehicles (and pretty much all else around them) on the major country roads. The problem doesn't seem to happen to any where near the same frequency in the cities due to the lower speeds and (paradoxically) the even higher volume of small bikes.

As to the best route into Saigon, you might want to consider taking the 769 from Long Khanh - it will take you across the rivers straight into town but there are still a lot of trucks and buses as you head in past the port/docks.