Tour of Truck Duty

I nearly died in “The Nam”. It wasn’t from a sniper, a cluster bomb, or even from some nasty pungi sticks dipped in VC poo after dropping into a hot LZ. Heck, no, I was just trying to cross the street. This is because Vietnam, or at least Ho Chi Minh City, has been overrun by an army of motorcyclists. Our thousands of underbone riders cannot compare.

Decades after the bitter fighting that nearly tore the country apart, a centerpiece of the Cold War, and a bitter failure of American foreign policy (before, of course, Iraq), Vietnam is alive and kickstarting itself with industries popping up everywhere. This despite the global economic meltdown.

And for the ordinary Vietnamese, what better way to reward oneself in the age of capitalism, err, business-minded socialism than with a motorbike? Multiply that rationale with several million people and you get the picture of a typical road: swarms, hordes... a veritable sea of motorized riders, men, women, and children (sometimes all sharing just one bike), darting in and out of any openings that spring up, occasionally colliding with each other, eventually reaching their destination in more or less one piece to live and ride another day. The road is not enough.

It makes our MMDA-run fiefdom look positively civilized, and I bet anybody used to the order of a First World traffic system would get a heart attack here. But for the regular Vietnamese, it’s nothing. After all, they kicked out the rich and powerful Americans, right? And they did that with the stereotypical black mammies, an AK-47, several bags of rice, and rubber sandals made from old truck tires while living in a rabbit’s warren of tunnels right underneath Uncle Sam’s nose. They’re also raking in his dollars with a brisk business touring foreigners at the Cu Chi tunnels and other war memorials.

Cars are the minority here. They are at the mercy of the motorbikes, flowing beside, ahead, and across them with impunity as the poor car driver must continually try not to get hit by one. It’s probably how John McCain felt dodging AAA fire over Hanoi back then.

Trucks, however, are the lifeblood of Vietnamese industry, because you can only carry so much on the back of a motorcycle. And here, Isuzu rules the roost with its N- and F-Series light trucks, the D-MAX pickup truck, and even the Crosswind/Sportive. And why not? Just like in the Philippines, Isuzu enjoys a reputation for dependability.

And with the introduction of the new “Forward” N- and F-Series trucks, they might even get associated with a sense of style. This is because the two light trucks have received a clean makeover to make them look just a little bit less utilitarian. The N-Series has an “aerodynamic” cab design that not only looks fetching (for a truck) but also reduces wind resistance for improved fuel economy. So does the larger F-Series, now with 23% more power and 18% better fuel economy tanks to improvements with the power train and exterior.

A drive inside Isuzu’s factory with an N-Series revealed it’s actually not such a hoary beast to drive. Apart from the pizza pie-sized steering wheel that’s nearly level with the horizon, there’s not much to complain about if it’s your job to drive one for a living. The seats are reasonably comfortable, the windows are large and slope towards the front to help you avoid running over pedestrians and motorcyclists, and there’s standard power assist for the steering. Oh, and the “D-Core” engine has common rail direct injection, giving it a snappy feel. After a few laps around the plant, I was as comfortable driving it as anyone could possibly be. Plus, you can stuff a platoon of troopers, err, tourists in the back.

In Vietnam, the masses may ride their bikes in the millions, but big business trusts Isuzu to keep industries moving along.