I'm traveling in Viet Nam and this is being written in Hanoi. The Viet Nam war was one of the defining events for my generation and I approached this trip with mixed feelings. But Viet Nam in 2011 is a far different place than it was in the sixties. The population is now about 90 million - more than double what it was when the war ended in 1973. Half are under age 35. There are also 25 million motor scooters. They are EVERYWHERE. Add millions more cars, trucks, bicycles and buses and you have a situation where taking a stroll is a big adventure. As best I can determine, here are the rules for getting across the street in one piece.
#1. Size matters. That means a bus is king of the road and pretty much goes wherever it wants. If a pedestrian, a motor scooter or even a car gets in its way, there is going to be trouble. As a courtesy, however, the driver will invariably honk the horn before he squashes you.
#2. Cars wish they were buses. They get frustrated because they are either cut off by the buses or boxed in by a swarm of motorbikes. The only thing left to intimidate is a pedestrian, particularly a bewildered tourist. It's best to try to avoid them at all costs. This, of course, is impossible.
#3. Motor scooters behave like people, except they have engines. Because their operators are out in the open, just like you, they are much more considerate than cars or buses and they will actually try to avoid you if you find yourself marooned in the middle of the street. However, they travel in large herds much like the Wildebeest in Africa. As an American-style pedestrian it is hard to get used to the idea that they they won't head straight for you when you step off the curb.
#4. Sidewalks are not safety zones. Trying to escape the stampeding herd of scooters by jumping back onto the sidewalk will not work. When things get too crowded on the street, the scooters use the sidewalk instead. They might also come out of an alley or even a storefront and sneak up on you.
#5. Traffic control measures such as stoplights and lane markers are regarded as amusing suggestions rather than rules to be obeyed. An open lane is regarded as an opportunity for a scooter to break away from the herd, even if the opening is on the wrong side of the street.
Given these rules, the question is - How do you get from one side of the street to the other without grievous bodily harm? First, pay attention to everything around you. Being distracted from the task at hand by talking on your cell phone or to your traveling companion is a recipe for disaster. Second, keep your goal in mind. You want to get to the other side of the street. Move deliberately in that direction, even if it appears suicidal. Third, don't make any sudden moves. Don't chicken out and back up. Above all, don't try a quick sprint toward apparent safety. It's harder for someone to avoid you if they can't tell what you are going to do next. Fourth, have faith that everything is going to turn out okay. This is the toughest one of all. Believe it or not, the scooter drivers just want to get where they are going. Running over a pedestrian, especially a tourist with money to spend, would be bad for the local economy as well as inconvenient for you.
It turns out that Vietnamese motor scooter operators are incredibly skilled drivers who mean you no harm. They just play by an entirely different set of rules. The trick is to understand and respect those rules, then act accordingly.
Come to think of it, life in general might be a little bit easier if we approached with the same level of attention and trust as crossing the street in Viet Nam.
