Crazy Vietnam

This place deserves a blog post of its own.

Vietnam is truely mental.

It's perturbing just how adaptable we are, how quickly we get used to some kind of craziness being the norm. Being submerged in Hanoi I barely notice it anymore, but stepping back from it...

If any of you have been here before you will of course realise that I'm talking about the traffic.

Crossing the roads here can be like taking your life in your own hands. Don't get me wrong...zebra crossings, traffic lights, red and green men are rife...all over the place. But do the Vietnamese take any notice of them?

What green man?

The first day I ventured out I did the chicken thing and avoided all main roads, which basically ended up with me only being able to walk around the block :D

Driving Rules in Vietnam:

1) Tear up the rule book

2) Size of vehicle (penis) denotes right of way. Pedestrians = prey, motorcycles give way to cars, cars give way to coaches and lorries...or someone will get squished.

3) Horns can be used for anything, batteries are totally replaceable

4) Traffic lights are more 'guidlelines' ( Cap'n Barbossa accent) than anything

5) When approaching pedestrians at speed, liberal use of the horn is encouraged....especially if you're creeping up behind and they don't know you're there....and ESPECIALLY if they're Western.

6) Pavements are to be used as a handy thoroughfare when traffic is heavier than you'd like

7) Creeping up behind Westerners on the pavement and excessive use of horn is to be encouraged.

The list goes on.

As for pedestrians, you just have to do what you can...dodge motorcycles mounting the pavements and cross at the green man, regardless.

When the green man comes on, motorcycles in particular will just keep going, but the Vietnamese (despite their dislike of the green cross code) are pretty good drivers. The green man comes on and you walk into oncoming traffic, confidently and at a steady pace, things will drive around you. The only time I wouldn't prescribe this particular course of action is when there's a lorry or coach looking like it ain't slowing down, we want to conquer Hanoi traffic...not become road kill.

I've found myself walking across huge intersections with motos and taxis whizzing around me in all directions and I'm no longer perturbed...go me!

Now I just need to take on Saigon, which I've heard is worse......*breathe*