What is a cyclo in Vietnam?
Cyclo in Vietnam – a means of transporting passengers and goods appeared in Vietnam for a long time. Today, cyclo is also a vehicle for very unique sightseeing tours.
The history of cyclo in Vietnam
The word “xích lô” was called by the Vietnamese from its French name – Cyclo, invented by a Frenchman named Coupeaud in 1939. To advertise this new vehicle, Coupeaud organized a journey. With a cyclo running from Phnom Penh to Saigon by two people taking turns pedaling the road about 200 km.
The cyclo is said to be an advanced product developed from the 18th-century rickshaw, the rickshaw also has a two-wheeled trunk but is drawn by man.
In the early 1960s, in Saigon, there appeared cyclo drivers, with 2-stroke engines and spare parts, components, and engines of the Peugeot motorcycle company imported from France, 125 cc type, using gasoline mixed with lubricants.
Appeared in 1939, cyclo was a popular means of transportation of the ancient Vietnamese people. In the early years of the 20th century, only the aristocracy and the wealthy were eligible to use a cyclo to move mainly in big cities at that time such as Saigon, Hanoi, and Hue.
Cyclo tour – An enjoyable experience while traveling in Vietnam
Many tourists want to come to Vietnam only to once experience the interesting feeling of swaying on the pedicab so that the cyclo driver slowly pedals on the street to admire the surroundings, while breathing the cool air outside. You can easily stop anywhere if you want and take pictures that leave interesting impressions in the hearts of foreign visitors.
In fact, the tourism development of Hanoi capital shows that tourist cyclo is very interested in foreign tourists because of the experiences it brings. Therefore, when visiting the Old Quarter of Hanoi or around the Hoan Kiem Lake area … we easily see the image of foreign tourists sitting on a cyclo, admiring the scenery, exploring the streets …
That is also a typical cultural and tourist beauty of Hanoi.
Sitting swaying on a cyclo going through each street, alley, sightseeing, breathing the fresh air, and taking pictures to leave an unforgettable impression in the hearts of foreign tourists.
The world-famous travel site, Lonely Planet, has suggested that tourists should not ignore the experience with cyclo when coming to Vietnam. According to this page, cyclo often appears near major hotels and drivers can communicate in English at a basic level.
Longtime travel company Kouni in Switzerland, with branches in many countries around the world, also commented that the cyclo tour around Hanoi is a unique, interesting celebration for tourists.
In big cities, there are more and more cyclos on the streets. They are sometimes decorated colorfully for weddings.
