VietNamNet Bridge – Saigon, known today as Ho Chi Minh City, is now a haven for vintage motorbikes. Not only treasuring the value of the past, the collectors are working to benefit the community also.

Watching films of old Saigon before 1975, it is not difficult to spot old motorcycles or cars - symbols of an engineering civilisation from South Europe, notably Italy and France.

Half the century passed by but memories of these vehicles are still alive among generations of Saigon citizens.

Nguyen Van Minh from District 1, Ho Chi Minh City said as a child, he was crazy about old motorbikes. When he grew up, he started hunting for them. Despite their age, they still hold value, he said.

Besides passion, the hobby also entails perseverance. The biggest problem is finding the right spare parts when one breaks down. If they are nowhere to be found, the vehicle will be of no use.

Tran Gia Tuan from Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City said at first, he found it not too challenging to take up the hobby, and his friends enthusiastically guided him how to scout for and repair old scooters.

How to retain the originality of a scooter is the most difficult. To do so, he must order spare parts online or even search abroad.

After many years of working with petrol and screws, his passion for vintage motorcycles never wears out. He also wishes to spread the hobby further.

Each year, hundreds of collectors show off their bikes with popular brand names like Honda, Vespa, Mobylette from the 1950s and 1960s. On display are those made in the 1930s like Sachs and Motobecanne – a former version of Mobylette.

Not only sharing the hobby, they are joining efforts for charity.

“Old motorcycles are nothing but a skeleton when they sit idle. That’s why we put them up for an annual auction in support of ill-fated lives”, said Nguyen Leo Long from Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The time seems to fly slowly when we accidentally spot a passing vintage scooter. A glimpse of old Saigon appears lurking in this modern and dynamic city.

Source: Vietnam Plus