Motorbikes, Neoliberalism and Reflections upon the Environment

It’s very hot in Ho Chi Minh City (ex Saigon). It is a suffocating heat, a common characteristic of the places near the Equator. In winter, the average temperature can reach 31 degrees celsius. The heat is sticky; everything is a mixture of sun, sweat and humidity. But Saigon isn’t only hot: also there are motorbikes in it, a awful lot of motorbikes. From the very moment you enter the city, guidebooks and information leaflets will let you know that you have reached “the mortorcycle city” (as time goes by, the visitor will understand that this assertion is literally 100% true).With a population of seven millions inhabitants, the city has around 4 million motorbikes.