shushin
Jay Walk in Hanoi (the norm)
Normal rules don't apply when you are crossing the roads in Vietnam, especially the bigger cities like Hanoi and Saigon. Soon you learn to negotiate your way through incoming traffic. If you don't adapt, you get stuck in the same spot forever!! But no amount of internet research will prepare you for the initial shock.......
Below is an excerpt from wikitravel on how to cross roads in Hanoi:
Like everywhere else in Vietnam, traffic in Hanoi is dominated by an incredible number of motorbikes, all of which seem to be making a mad, desperate dash for something just out of reach — all of the time. All the while blowing their horns incessantly. In other words, pedestrian traffic can be overwhelming for visitors, especially in the narrow streets around the Old Quarter. When you leave the curb, look not only both ways but left, right, back and front, and take each step slowly and patiently allowing them to pass because even an eye contact is not enough with the oncoming drivers and actually before you know it, someone is also on your back since there is no such thing as one-directional traffic in Vietnam. The key word here is slowly — don't rush. This way the drivers are aware of you, and can take you into account (along with all of the other motorbikes). It may look, and indeed is somewhat chaotic, but be patient and pay attention when you're crossing any street, large or small, and you should be fine. Definitely, the streets of Hanoi has no place for faint hearted people, with hypertension and heart problems on top of the disabled and the old.
Jay Walk in Hanoi (the norm)
Normal rules don't apply when you are crossing the roads in Vietnam, especially the bigger cities like Hanoi and Saigon. Soon you learn to negotiate your way through incoming traffic. If you don't adapt, you get stuck in the same spot forever!! But no amount of internet research will prepare you for the initial shock.......
Below is an excerpt from wikitravel on how to cross roads in Hanoi:
Like everywhere else in Vietnam, traffic in Hanoi is dominated by an incredible number of motorbikes, all of which seem to be making a mad, desperate dash for something just out of reach — all of the time. All the while blowing their horns incessantly. In other words, pedestrian traffic can be overwhelming for visitors, especially in the narrow streets around the Old Quarter. When you leave the curb, look not only both ways but left, right, back and front, and take each step slowly and patiently allowing them to pass because even an eye contact is not enough with the oncoming drivers and actually before you know it, someone is also on your back since there is no such thing as one-directional traffic in Vietnam. The key word here is slowly — don't rush. This way the drivers are aware of you, and can take you into account (along with all of the other motorbikes). It may look, and indeed is somewhat chaotic, but be patient and pay attention when you're crossing any street, large or small, and you should be fine. Definitely, the streets of Hanoi has no place for faint hearted people, with hypertension and heart problems on top of the disabled and the old.