Famed for phenomenal cuisine , majestic rural landscapes and vibrant cities , Vietnam offers an undisputed sensory overload . But there 's one sight the becomes most engrained in the memories of even the most seasoned traveller - the wacky things people carry on the back of a motorbike or scooter . Lee Thompson 's seen plenty in his 14 years as an award-winning photojournalist covering the civil war in Libya , the revolution in Egypt , the tsunami in Japan and other extensive travels before he co-founded The Flash Pack , a small group flashpacking tour company . But even he repeatedly marvels at what the men and women of southeast Asia can balance and transport on just a scooter or a beaten up old motorcycle , and on one of his company's Vietnam & Cambodia tours with a group of nine this month he was compelled to capture some of the finest . There 's seemingly no measure to what can be packed onto the back of a bike or scooter in southeast Asia . The Flash Pack 's Lee Thompson captured this man with scores of live chickens in weaved baskets this month in Sapa , Vietnam . That 's one way to pop a wheelie ! A man pulls a packed trailer from a loading dock at the Mekong river crossing in Vietnam with a motorbike . In this series of images from a single 14-day trip , he photographs a man casually puffing on a cigarette and carrying what looks like more than 20 live chickens in woven cages perched on the back of his scooter in Sapa , Vietnam . At a Mekong river crossing in Vietnam he is there to watch a motorcyclist dragging a massive trailer out of a boat loading dock on a bike , with the load so heavy he continuously pops wheelies , all the while not in the slightest bit bothered his two wheels have become one . Thompson enjoys the fact that what looks quirky to a Brit is simply every day life for the locals . In Vietnam alone there are more than 37 million motorbikes or scooters , most definitely the vehicle of choice in traffic that would make western country 's peak hours look tame . 'Unlike other tour companies we venture in to remote parts of Sapa where it 's not unusual to see bikes carrying livestock like chickens , pigs and goats - it makes really great photographs but it 's just a way of life for the locals , ' said Thompson . In Phnom Penh , the capital of Cambodia , all that 's needed to move some large piles of chairs is two wheels and some clever packing . Getting around on two wheels is a way of life in Vietnam where there are more than 37 million motorbikes ( and only a few million cars ) ' I watched as one of the bikers tried to work out how he would carry eight goats on his bike , he fell three times before he finally got going and the goats did n't seem to happy about it ! ' A family of five and a smiling group of four adults pile onto scooters to get from A to B while another transport a giant pile of chairs stacked on a tray from one side of the city to the other with the power of just his humble two-wheeler . With limited resources comes innovation , as is evident with one mother who has attached a cane high chair to the front of her vehicle to make it more comfortable for her to transport her toddler around town in Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam . 'Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are full of bikes and it makes the morning commute in London seem easy , ' Thompson said . 'Even though most of our group was very well travelled the amount of bikes on the road still comes as a shock in these amazing countries - it 's crazy ! ' A mother fits a high chair is onto the front of a scooter for her toddler in this shot captured in Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam . A bike that 's seen better days carrying pigs is not an unusual sight on the road to Ho Chi Minh , Vietnam , says Thompson . A family drive is a cosy affair for this five-some packed onto a scooter in Hanoi . The man on the back of this scooter in Hanoi , Vietnam , holds a ladder and some building materials as they weave their way through traffic . Thompson says the eight goats in the cage on the back on this bike 'did n't seem happy ' as the rider tipped them over three times . The commute in Vietnam makes the daily battle on the Tube that Londoners endure look easy , but they do n't seem to mind . The morning commute in Ho Chi Minh City is certainly less stuffy than piling into the Tube on a Monday morning . And here are some more unique uses for scooters ... An assortment of exotic fish are in bags and ready for sale , cleverly attached to this man 's scooter , in Hạ Long Bay , Vietnam . A basket vendor balances an array of products on the back of this small motorised bike in Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam . There 's only one way to transport a bike that is n't working in Vietnam ... on the back of one of the country 's 37 million bikes or scooters .
The Flash Pack co-owner Lee Thompson photographed incredible uses for scooters in southeast Asia . Award-winning photojournalist Thompson was with a 14-day tour of Vietnam and Cambodia in April . Hide Caption