Buzz
Many foreigners have gone from astonishment to fear when witnessing the scene of individual vehicles moving on the streets in Vietnam.
This article is by Terry F. Buss, an American citizen currently residing in Hanoi, through which readers can see his own perspective as well as that of foreigners in general about what's called the traffic culture in Vietnam.
Any Vietnamese who has witnessed the chaos in the traffic activities of Vietnam's largest cities knows that they are witnessing a beautiful ballet dance performance, with the artists being pedestrians, motorbikes, cars, buses, and occasionally dogs or chickens.
Therefore, as a tourist, you can choose between becoming a ballet artist or just a statistical figure of traffic fatalities.
If you choose to become an artist, here are some useful street rules. It will only take 4 years to master these rules, but the time spent is well worth it. This means you need to visit Vietnam more often, something the Vietnamese will welcome.
12 Foreigners' Rules for Crossing the Road in Vietnam
Rule 1. When a pedestrian, never look into the eyes of drivers and don't smile. Not only does it distract drivers, but it's also seen as a challenge and in this situation, it could lead to your demise.
Doing so also means you're acting scared. Drivers, like tigers, will sense your fear.
Rule 2. To start your road-crossing experience, try to find a child or an elderly person and walk with them. All Vietnamese children are adorable so no one would want to run over them.
Anyway, elderly people are still the best choice because if they've survived crossing the road for many decades, they must know something.
Rule 3. Try to wait until a large group of people is ready to cross the road. At worst, a driver can only flatten about 5-6 people, not everyone. So the larger the group, the higher your chances of successfully crossing the road.
Rule 4. Sometimes, while waiting to cross the road, you may see a broken tree branch or a fallen telephone pole on the sidewalk. If you pick these up and act tough while crossing the road, this action could intimidate the 'captains' of the road who dislike stopping.
Rule 5. If you find yourself stuck on the sidewalk for an hour and unable to cross the road, try this tactic: close your eyes and step off the sidewalk onto the road. Surprisingly, this tactic works.
Rule 6. Do not assume that traffic will stop at the traffic lights. When the light turns red, there will be at least 50-100 motorbikes and occasionally 1 or 2 taxis that will continue to rush through the red light. When motorbikes or taxis stop at a red light, never think they will stay still. The ones in the front will be able to cross the intersection at any time. Unfortunately, when you wait for them to pass, your pedestrian light has already turned from green to red.
Rule 7. Never assume that lanes and dividers will help separate drivers into clearly opposing lanes. Traffic lanes are merely suggestive for drivers. Things get unpredictable when all drivers are heading in the same direction on a road with two lanes.
Rule 8. There's no such thing as a pedestrian walkway. If you see (beyond reality) a dedicated pedestrian walkway, that's surely a miracle.
Rule 9. Do not assume that sidewalks are only for pedestrians. They are actually alternative roads for motorbikes. They are also parking spots for motorbikes. Sidewalks are indeed the streets. Imagine how complicated this can get.
Rule 10. Never step in front of a heavily damaged vehicle. The driver is likely someone who doesn't know the rules of the road or has poor skills, or a tourist who thinks he's still in Sydney.
Rule 11. Never bend down to pick up money on the street. Every child around will do that much faster than you, regardless of how far away they are from the coin. And you'll hear the unpleasant sound of motorbike tires whizzing behind you.
Golden Rule: Seriously, if you can't remember the above rules, just remember this: your safety largely depends on understanding your opponents. Motorbikes are actually the easiest opponents. They can swerve, dodge nearly everything, including a tourist. It's not surprising to see a motorbike carrying 100 chickens or a refrigerator maneuvering through the streets like a pro.
Cars pose more problems. They can't swerve to avoid hitting you and often cars are surrounded by hundreds of motorbikes, with riders practically touching the car's sides and the driver inside. That's why cars in Vietnam always have mysterious scratches on their bodies.
Inner-city buses and trucks are even worse. They clearly can't swerve to avoid pedestrians and they need thousands of meters of road to brake when they need to stop.
In such a situation, don't be cowardly. Try crossing the street once and see what happens!
According to Vietnamplus
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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour
MytourJune 30, 2014
