Klick Klunk; safety first?

The introduction of the helmet law in Viet Nam has led Saigon’s F.T.V. engrossed youth to the dizzy heights of Crashion Helmets. Whether you want a traditional sun hat or a baseball cap bearing logos of Milanese High Street fashion you can get a helmet to fit the bill.

Every former hat shop owner on every street has renovated their shops and fabricated their helmets in order to cater for new growing trends, but are these fashion accessories really worth their time?

Some in all seriousness, others in irony, Westerners and Vietnamese alike are embracing this new craze and the only thing that can be confirmed is that it is ‘happening’, everybody’s happy and everybody’s gaining something from this new enterprise. The Vietnamese head accessory market has certainly peaked as a result of the helmet revolution but the question off everyone’s lips is, is it safe?

Polystyrene lined and fabric outlined these implements of safety are really just to keep the police out of your wallet. But, Viet Nam, as is typical, has minded the law and kept style on their side and fashioned the otherwise non essential crash helmet into the ‘to die for’ accessory of the future.

The range of helmets on display at the present time is simply phenomenal. Bright pink headgear with ear guards for your local xe om driver, electric blue with Korean Bunny detail and double creased inlay for your Nouvo mounted, high powered business woman or for the lads out there, who are dedicated to nocturnal Fashion T.V. voyeurism, there’s a two tone Burberry check cap for driving to match your coffee time two tone check Burberry cap. If it’s something different you’re looking for you can even accessorize your accessory. With the top line technology powered by Vietnam’s open market production lines you can sunhat your helmet. Resourceful as ever, Saigon has come through with the Helmet Halo. Blocking both the sun and the view of accidents, thought to be unlucky by many motorbike riders, the sunhat design has really hit the effeminate market. From floral prints to leopard skin, the Helmet Halo caters for every ladies need. Before the helmet law was upon us ladies, gloved, socked and jacketed, would circle the city streets in floppy hats and matching sunglasses to protect themselves from the harsh sun. But, since the introduction of helmets no one thought that such protection could be replicated. However, reproduction is here, the market has peaked, and now whatever the weather, every lady has a sunhat to protect her from the glare.

So, where can you find these stylish treasures?

If you’re looking for well polished, cartoon embossed masterpieces of craftsmanship the best place to go is Hai Ba Trung. With a full range of forest greens to fluorescent pinks Hai Ba Trung’s fashionista mile is the perfect place to fix up your head with the latest styles in model protection.

But, if it’s Burberry Caps and Floral delights which tempt you in the search for style 451 Dien Bien Phu in District Three offers a unique collection of reupholstered safety wear. There’s the heavy woven flat cap style, the cartoon stenciled, full rimmed summer look or even the newly launched cotton lined ladies wide brimmed cap with every design available from pink to green. Camouflage army style helmets are a discreet flavour of the season amongst motorbiking boys all over the city and can be found in large supply at a procession of stores on Pham Viet Chanh (on the left past the Coopmart on Cong Quynh) The hat not to be seen in has successful immersed itself in the crashion network if only for the fact that it is so incongruous to it’s setting. Saigon picked its Army Surplus scavengers out well amongst it’s ex pat community and this particularly piece of equipment appears to be one of the marked fashion high flyers worth living for.

Prices vary depending on style and outlet but a man’s cotton crashion can be as little as 120000VND and a ladies all weather sunhat 150000VND. Helmet Halos, a key to sprucing up any decrepit headgear, will only cost 12000VND from any street vendor sporting trees blossoming ponchos. Bought in quick succession the poncho/halo combo can only provide a high, street, fashion montage which will drag envious eyes from the constant stare ahead.

But, it’s not only the riders that are getting ahead with fashion since the collapse of helmet free riding. M.T.V. has made its mark on Asian T.V. and has been greeted with nothing but enthusiasm. It is not uncommon in the era of head accessories to also see from the corner of your eye a piece of fine workmanship dodging ruggedly through the streets of Saigon. Once spotted these works of craftsmanship can only be likened to the cooldos deserving, former junk heaps that are transmogrified into dream machines on Pimp My Ride. Pimped up accessories for your motorbike include strobe side lights and turbo mufflers to add to the already popular neon blue headlamps which illuminate the streets on a nightly basis. And with the fast diminishing appearance of cyclos on the streets the race is on to distinguish your tailor made moto from that of the Pham Ngu Lau xe om tribe. Honda stencils and Vespa badges are now becoming old hat and more recently a new paintjob is the way to get noticed. As is always the way, artists are popping up everywhere to paint your well chalked bike with any design of your choice. Whether it’s the symbol of your favourite drink at the bar, to let everyone know who’s coming, or an ornate pen stroke masterpiece pertaining to the border strokes of Aubrey Beardsley you can pick a design and the artist will match it and then you really will be riding a one of a kind.

If frivolity does not quite enter the realm for the full head to tyre makeover, in lieu of all these delightful bike appendages, the fact of the matter is simple for all. If you follow the crowd through the Saigon streets to get to where you’re going to, and you’re a connoisseur of current fashion extremes, then be sure to stick to the clichés: if you want to get ahead, get a hat. It’s that simple.