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How to cross the road
Don’t pick your nose, don’t run with scissors, don’t speak with your mouth full. Childhood rules we learned, we know, we do (most of the time).
How to cross the road safely is also drummed into us when we’re young – stop, look both ways, look again, walk (don’t run!) across the road if nothing’s coming. Well, you can forget all that in Vietnam – the only rule here is there are no rules, which frightens many tourists when facing the adrenaline rush of plunging into a polluted river of motorbikes and other vehicles.
It’s different here. For a start, motorbikes are not just for hairy, tattooed guys in leather – they’re everyday transport for rebels and families alike. Unlike other countries, where cars are essential, motorbikes are the main means of travel in Vietnam. Each family has two or three bikes and you’ll soon get used to seeing mum, dad, and two kids squeezed onto one seat or Mad Max-style, three-wheel delivery bikes stacked with boxes of instant noodles.
Why are motorbikes so popular?
Money. You only need a thousand US dollars for a decent motorbike, whereas even the smallest car will set you back twenty times that amount – the average annual income for a Vietnamese worker. The reason why cars are so expensive is because the government slaps a massive tax on their import, meaning they’re only for the privileged few. So with motorbikes the only affordable motorised transport for most, there are literally millions of them on the streets of Vietnam’s rapidly developing cities.
Road ‘rules’
The first thing to know is don’t expect anyone to give way to you or anyone else – they won’t. They’re just as likely to deliberately block you to get through first. Second, priority is down to the loudness of your horn. Trucks first, buses and cars second, then motorbikes, tinkling bicycles and, finally, hornless pedestrians at the bottom of the pecking order. Third, red lights and one-way restrictions are only sometimes observed. People will also happily ride on the pavement and the wrong side of the road, beeping you out of the way of course, if it saves a few nanoseconds.
How to cross the road
A common method for newcomers is to cross with Vietnamese people, standing on their left if a one-way street. Most importantly, never run or step backwards, even if someone appears to be coming straight at you. Drivers and riders will not expect this and may panic. Try to keep a steady pace across the road and, if necessary, stop in the road to let people through. Remember, though, they won’t stop and wait for you to cross. Last, it’s a lot easier for motorbikes and bicycles to avoid you than other vehicles, so wait for a gap between four-wheeled vehicles to cross.
Hopefully, this will help you and remember, despite the apparent death wish of many here, no one wants to cause an accident – they just have a higher tolerance for danger. Last but not least, don’t be frightened because you’ll get used to it!
Don’t pick your nose, don’t run with scissors, don’t speak with your mouth full. Childhood rules we learned, we know, we do (most of the time).
How to cross the road safely is also drummed into us when we’re young – stop, look both ways, look again, walk (don’t run!) across the road if nothing’s coming. Well, you can forget all that in Vietnam – the only rule here is there are no rules, which frightens many tourists when facing the adrenaline rush of plunging into a polluted river of motorbikes and other vehicles.
It’s different here. For a start, motorbikes are not just for hairy, tattooed guys in leather – they’re everyday transport for rebels and families alike. Unlike other countries, where cars are essential, motorbikes are the main means of travel in Vietnam. Each family has two or three bikes and you’ll soon get used to seeing mum, dad, and two kids squeezed onto one seat or Mad Max-style, three-wheel delivery bikes stacked with boxes of instant noodles.
Why are motorbikes so popular?
Money. You only need a thousand US dollars for a decent motorbike, whereas even the smallest car will set you back twenty times that amount – the average annual income for a Vietnamese worker. The reason why cars are so expensive is because the government slaps a massive tax on their import, meaning they’re only for the privileged few. So with motorbikes the only affordable motorised transport for most, there are literally millions of them on the streets of Vietnam’s rapidly developing cities.
Road ‘rules’
The first thing to know is don’t expect anyone to give way to you or anyone else – they won’t. They’re just as likely to deliberately block you to get through first. Second, priority is down to the loudness of your horn. Trucks first, buses and cars second, then motorbikes, tinkling bicycles and, finally, hornless pedestrians at the bottom of the pecking order. Third, red lights and one-way restrictions are only sometimes observed. People will also happily ride on the pavement and the wrong side of the road, beeping you out of the way of course, if it saves a few nanoseconds.
How to cross the road
A common method for newcomers is to cross with Vietnamese people, standing on their left if a one-way street. Most importantly, never run or step backwards, even if someone appears to be coming straight at you. Drivers and riders will not expect this and may panic. Try to keep a steady pace across the road and, if necessary, stop in the road to let people through. Remember, though, they won’t stop and wait for you to cross. Last, it’s a lot easier for motorbikes and bicycles to avoid you than other vehicles, so wait for a gap between four-wheeled vehicles to cross.
Hopefully, this will help you and remember, despite the apparent death wish of many here, no one wants to cause an accident – they just have a higher tolerance for danger. Last but not least, don’t be frightened because you’ll get used to it!
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