Want to know the main difference between Viet Nam and California? In California, pedestrians (supposedly) have the right-of-way at intersections. Doesn't matter where you are in the country, really, traffic is everywhere, at high speeds and in great numbers. Mostly, Vietnamese ride motor bikes. I heard there are 4 million motor bikes in Ha Noi alone.
But the pecking order is different in Viet Nam. Here is how it breaks down:
1. Buses
2. Vans and SUVs
3. Cars
4. Motor Bikes
5. Bicyclists
6. Pedestrians
You can see that pedestrians fall to the bottom of the totem pole. This means if one wants to cross the street, it's done at one's own risk. You can't dash across and hope to avoid being crushed by a motor bike because fast movement is unpredictable. You must walk very slowly across the street and cross your heart that somebody doesn't hit you. In other words, you must put your faith in the drivers and not the other way around.
You may as well close your eyes for all the good it does you to stare down drivers in the eyeballs. It sort of reminds me of why did the chicken cross the road. Question: Why would a tourist cross the road in Viet Nam? Answer: Because the tourist is stoned. That's the only reasonable explanation. Hey, Sacramento's busy intersection at Howe and Fair Oaks has nothing on Viet Nam traffic.
Photos: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Certified HAFA Specialist
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I've been a pedestrian in California and found that pretty scary (the drivers down there are NUTS!). So if Vietnam is worse than that....wow!
Elizabeth - I assume you have been to vietnam? But made it back without a scratch.
Elizabeth-it reminds me of the lessons I learned while trying to navigate the subways in Tokoyo. After awhile I got how to get on and off without being trampled. It made returning to the DC Metro a breeze.
Wow--the things we take for granted. Thanks for sharing your trip with us; looking forward to more of your great posts.
That could be pretty dangerous if you are a tourist and aren't aware of the rules, or think that the way we do it is the way everyone does it....yikes!
Elizabeth: Must be good to get home where a pedestrian isn't taking their life in their hands crossing the street. There really is no place like home.
You guys are telling me. When I arrived at the airport in San Francisco, nothing pleased me as much as stepping off the curb outside baggage and watching traffic come to a complete halt as I strolled across the street.
I don't think I'd like being at the bottom of the pecking order so much. And looking at the list I think I might use a bus to get where I was going.
Elizabeth, this looks like a busy area. So, I'm assuming you were in Viet Nam? What and why? Just cause? ;-)
The midewst does have some advantages like knowing red from green, green from yellow and when whcih chickens should cross where...
Elizabeth, It sounds frightening to cross the road. Something happened between grade school, where we learned to wait for the cars and now ---when someone steps out in front of me, I know they are from California :-) Glad to see you back safe and sound!
Hi Elizabeth...In Cairo even the camels are ahead of the pedestrians.
Kate
Hi Elizabeth... it's this type of cultural difference that still makes international travel an exciting adventure! Welcome home!
Elizabeth,
I am coming from a country where the principle is very simple. What for their mass. If a car is heavier, it goes first. It come naturally, and I still would not get on the road without making sure that nothing nearby is dangerously close.
And this is the only place where people wander on the road and can't care less about the traffic, or would not move faster seeing a car.
In Russia they will not hit you with a car, but you will get a good jab crashing your jaw for doing it.
I read your post, then turned to my husband who has taken MANY trips to Viet Nam over the years. "You'll want to hear this one, " I said. Then I read the title...he just threw back his head and laughed. When he finished that, I read the rest of it to him. He says he always advised people who were going to Viet Nam to move S-L-O-W-L-Y when crossing the street--to give all the drivers (regardless of what they were driving) time to adjust their speed so they would miss the pedestrian by a couple of inches. Sounds like you two were in the same location.
Sounds like the traffic pecking order is mostly unchanged in Vietnam these last 40 years. But it appears to be somewhat more motorized than during the war years.