VIETNAM ON A SCOOTER

HELLO, FROM VIETNAM. MY latest two-wheeled adventure is possibly the most challenging, and definitely the most quirky, riding experience that I've sought out yet. I hope to go nearly 3,000 kilometres, taking the long way from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi on a bashed up 110cc rented scooter.

- ROHITH ASHOK

Why on a scooter when larger and more purpose-built motorcycles are easily available? The answer lies in the significant role that these tiny two-wheelers play in the fabric of daily life across this country.

I've read estimates that suggest there are over 45 million scooters on the roads in Vietnam. Step on to the chaotic streets of Ho Chi Minh City and you realise those estimates were possibly quite conservative.

While most other parts of the world look at scooters as basic and possibly less cool modes of transport, here, they take on a persona unlike anything that I've ever seen before.