There is a lot of talk about traffic in the countries of Southeast Asia. Of course, after all, for a European, this very movement is at first seen as continuous chaos and a cacophony of sounds, which is what shocks. But in fact, not everything is as scary as it seems at first glance. And at the end of the article, we will consider the basic rules of the Vietnamese movement.
Transport
The most common form of transport in Vietnam is a motorbike. The main reason for this is the availability of this vehicle. The fact is that in the country the tax on the purchase of a car is 100% of the cost. That is, the price of a car automatically doubles, plus an annual tax and a rather high cost of gasoline ... Only a wealthy person can afford even a small car. So the majority of Vietnamese ride on various two-wheeled vehicles - motorbikes, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, electric bikes ...
But how they drive! The Vietnamese manage to transport even bulky cargo on their motorbikes. He drives for himself, steers with one hand, and holds the second refrigerator behind his back so that he doesn’t fall ... Or one steers, and the second holds reinforcement 5 meters long or an iron ladder ... Every day we watched such pictures and every time we were surprised how they manage to maintain balance, not drop anything and not hurt anyone.
In addition to the ubiquitous two-wheeled vehicles, there are buses on the road and, of course, cars, most often of Japanese or Korean production. They say that in recent years there have been significantly more cars on the roads of Vietnam. Is the well-being of the Vietnamese growing?
Auto centers of Honda, KIA and Toiota were noticed in the city. According to indirect evidence, there should also be Hyundai, but we did not see it.
And, of course, these auto centers also specialize in bikes.
In tourist cities, on the street you can find a cycle rickshaw inviting tourists to ride to the hotel or to “yum-yum”. But be careful - many cycle rickshaws first name one price, and when it comes time to pay, it suddenly grows at times, because it turns out that you have traveled much more than this amount ...
Streets and intersections
Road traffic in Vietnam is right-handed, as it was originally introduced by the French during colonization.
At the usual intersections of two roads, there is, as a rule, a stone pedestal with arrows, which must be bypassed when turning. In the conditions of a large number of motor vehicles, it is a very sound idea that no one tries to cut a corner, thereby creating traffic chaos.
But since the streets in Nha Trang are not all parallel and perpendicular, the intersections of such roads are circular. In the center of such intersections there is an obligatory flowering flower bed, in the middle of which there is some elegant structure, often glowing at night.
This is what the direction signs look like in front of a similar intersection. At first it seems incomprehensible, but if you are already at least a little oriented in the city, then everything falls into place.
But this intersection will be more difficult. But everything is also clear: to the left to the beach, straight and to the right is the Xom Moi market, to the right and back is the station ...
And what does the intersection triangle look like from the sign above? Like this: a beautiful well-groomed mini-park, stone paths with benches, a fountain in the middle (which, however, has never worked in our memory) ... Not to say that it was just an oasis in a dusty city, because lush greenery and flowers grow everywhere, but it’s still very nice to get to such a place, just crossing the road.
Large gas stations come across from time to time. The cost of gasoline in Vietnam at the time of our visit (September 2015) was 20–30 thousand dong, which is about $1–1.5 per liter.
Near some shops along the road you can find a standing plastic bottle. At first we were puzzled - why is this? It turned out that you can buy gasoline in these stores if you didn’t make it to the gas station on a motorbike (the gas tank there is usually small). Of course, the price will be higher, because this is a way to earn money, but sometimes you don’t have to choose.
Road signs
There are also traffic lights in cities, but this is so rare that a “traffic light regulation” sign is necessarily located in front of such an intersection.
In general, the Vietnamese are very creative people. And their road signs are also creative and sometimes funny. The most common crosswalk sign looks like this:
But, while we were moving around the city by bus, we saw a couple more variants of this sign, quite creative. On one road an old man with a stick crossed, and on the other a man in a hat and a lady. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to take pictures. And this is what the sign “beware, children!” looks like:
And an unusual sign for us about the ban on parking bikes. Which, however, did not bother the Vietnamese, and right under it stood about seven two-wheeled vehicles.
Direction indicators with distances are also very handy. When you walk in the heat and stuffiness, it is very pleasant to know that only 300 meters are left to your destination.
sidewalks
The sidewalk in Vietnam (if there is one at all) is not at all a place for pedestrians, as is customary in our country. Rather, this is a place for parking bikes, for tables of Vietnamese cafes and anything else. Be prepared for the fact that when walking around the city, you will move mainly along the edge of the carriageway, and not at all along the sidewalks.
What did Vietnamese sidewalks teach me? First of all, look under your feet, and not stare around and up! You stumble a few times, keep from falling, and that's it - it already becomes a habit to look down quite often. Why? Firstly, the hatches of the Vietnamese look like this:
And these same hatches can stick out with sharp iron corners or, on the contrary, be recessed into the sidewalk, and they are quite common. Secondly, near many entrances and exits, the sidewalk goes down and up, but at the same time remains lined with the same tiles (no curbs) and visually this is not striking. Thirdly, right in the center of your path, a flower bed with trimmed trees may suddenly grow ...
And, finally, fourthly, most of the trees growing on the sidewalk are also not fenced with any curbs. Just pulled out 4 paving slabs and from there the tree grows. What is remarkable is that when a tree grows stronger, roots begin to bulge in different directions, the Vietnamese simply remove neighboring tiles so that the tree grows further as it pleases. Very touching care of the plant.
And how masterfully they park cars on the sidewalks! Every now and then I admired a car parked exactly between two trees or poles. It's not that it's completely impossible… it's just that on my unaccustomed side, it requires a lot of "body movements" and fidgeting back and forth. Unfortunately, I have never had a chance to observe the process of such parking, but I am sure that they do it quickly and without too much fuss, something familiar.
At the intersections there are blue signs with the name of the street, so it is almost impossible for a hiker with a map to get lost in the city. Here is the name of the street where we lived:
However, even if you did not find a sign indicating the street, all shops and cafes under the name always have the address of this institution.
Basic traffic rules
It is not my task here to teach you the rules of the Vietnamese traffic. I just want to note the peculiarities of traffic on the roads, which just frighten an inexperienced pedestrian or driver.
In Vietnam, you can only drive with a Vietnamese license. International law means nothing here. But in reality, tourists easily rent bikes and drive without a license at all. If you do not violate the rules and the speed limit, you drive in a helmet and dressed (bare knees offend the feelings of the local police, keep in mind), then most likely you will not be stopped. And if they stop, the standard fine for driving a bike without a license is $50, plus the confiscation of the bike to the impound lot.
The main thing in a Vietnamese car or bike is the horn. Everyone and everything is signaling. At first glance, it seems that they honk with or without reason, but this is not entirely true. They usually honk before performing a maneuver (rebuilding, overtaking, turning), as if to say - hey, keep in mind, I'm turning here. Or - dude, don't twitch, I'm overtaking you.
Another rule is who is more, he is right. The king of the roads is the bus. He never yields to anyone. It took - turned. And do not care that (as it seems to us) it was necessary to miss the oncoming lane. Will only signal.
You can drive in the oncoming lane at a distance of a meter from the sidewalk or the edge of the road. That is, the Vietnamese drove his turn. Gaped up, it happens. Well, what should he now, go to the intersection and turn around? And then to the next intersection and turn around again to get to the right place ... And he has a load of fresh fish there, for example, which needs to be delivered urgently ... In this case, he drives along the opposite lane at the edge of the road. I arrived, gave the goods, went to deliver further. Everyone is fine.
Look forward! A Vietnamese can change lanes and perform maneuvers without looking at all in the rear-view mirror (which may not be on the bike at all). Everyone looks only forward to instantly react to the rebuilding of those in front of you. And if an accident occurs, the one whose “muzzle” is scratched is to blame. Because he was yawning around and did not see that someone appeared in front of him.
Everyone drives around the city at a speed of about 30 km / h at the permitted 60 km/h. The fact is that at this speed, even in an accident, there is usually no fatal outcome.
According to Vietnamese rules two people are allowed on the bike simultaneously. At the same time, children are not considered people, so you can often see two Vietnamese and three children on one bike. And sometimes 4-5 adults rides. We saw a maximum of four, but the experienced saw eight people on one bike.
Conclusion: look ahead, drive 30 km / h, let everyone who is more pass, and signal before the maneuver. And you will be happy Vietnamese roads!
How to cross the road in Vietnam
The Vietnamese themselves do not worry about crossing the road and do it where it is convenient for them, without running in search of a pedestrian crossing. Because there really is no difference.
When we first approached the pedestrian crossing on the wide street, it seemed to us that it was virtually impossible to cross the road here. Having read in advance articles about ways to cross the road in Southeast Asian countries, we decided. We raised our hand up and slowly walked forward, stumbling at the sight of another motorbike “rushing” at us ... And we ended up on the other side.
The very next day we were convinced that we could not raise our hands, go much faster, and in general that not everything was as scary as it seemed the first time. And a week later, when we crossed the roundabout almost diagonally without hesitation, we realized with a laugh that we finally got used to it.
So how do you cross the road in Vietnam? Yes, it’s very simple: we let cars and buses pass, as they will not be able to quickly bypass you. Before starting the movement, we look in both directions, because we remember that oncoming traffic is also possible near the sidewalk. And we go out onto the road, looking to the left into the lane. We adjust our speed depending on what we see there. If you see that the bike coming at you has accelerated, then it is going to overshoot in front of you, and slow down a little. Or you see that the bikes start to take a little to the side in order to go around you. In general, we act according to the circumstances! And there is no need to be afraid and stand up like a pillar. The pedestrian must be predictable, then nothing terrible will happen, because we remember that the Vietnamese look mainly ahead when driving and they will definitely notice you.
Good luck on the roads!
Natalia Derevyagina
Is it worth renting a bike in Vietnam, what are the fines for violating traffic rules, how to learn how to ride a bike, who is in charge on the road and how to cross the street correctly. We have analyzed the main problems that foreigners who come to Vietnam have.
1. The Vietnamese drive quite anarchically. Nobody follows the rules of the road.
The Vietnamese drive anarchically, but systematically. There are unwritten rules, knowing which you can simplify your life at times.
First, always skip buses and trucks, they are the main ones on the road.
Second, drive at the speed of the traffic without breaking the speed limit. According to the rules, you can drive around the city at a maximum of 40 km / h.
Third, look around. The Vietnamese often turn in the wrong places, overtake or even go in the opposite direction. Look in both, do not drive and then you will be able to respond in time to the current situation. Although the Vietnamese break the rules everywhere, because of the low flow rate, you can always have time to react to the violator.
Fourth, when approaching an intersection, honk, so you will announce your presence (it is not always clear whether someone is driving on narrow streets).
2. Transport does not allow pedestrians to pass.
It really is. If you want to cross the road, it’s not a fact that they will let you through, even if the green light is on. They will just drive straight at you :) They will drive and go around. You can get under the wheels only in 1 case: if you run across the road, and not calmly cross it. We went out onto the roadway and go forward with a poker face. Do not even hesitate, you will be rounded up. Slowly so, but they will go round.
3. If there is no Vietnamese license, then no one will rent a bike in Vietnam.
Give and how. Most foreigners drive around Vietnam without a license, although a foreigner can, in principle, get a local license here and drive legally. It's just that no one gives a damn. Bikes are issued without checking the availability of rights, and traffic cops rarely stop.
4. GAI officers deliberately catch foreigners on bikes and shake bribes from them.
In the Mui Ne area, foreigners are sometimes stopped, convinced that they do not have Vietnamese rights, and hinted at bribes. But this is more the exception than the rule. In Nha Trang, no one is guarding anyone. If there are problems with GAI officers, it is because of serious offenses.
How to protect yourself from meeting with traffic cops:
- Always wear a helmet. For driving without a helmet, a fine of 100,000-200,000 VND. And without a helmet, you will stand out sooo much, and if you don't want problems with the traffic inspector, you don't need to stand out.
- Do not exceed the speed limit. As I wrote above, you can drive around the city at a maximum speed of 40 km / h, outside the city - 60 km / h. Fine for speeding from VND 500,000 to VND 3,000,000. If many people like to drive outside the city, then in cities I would advise you to trail like everyone else, so as not to stand out and not run into unnecessary attention.
- Wear a long-sleeved sweater, mask and glasses, hide your hair if it is blond. In short, look like a local. If you have no more than 55 kg, then from afar they will take you for their own.
5. I rented a bike and realized that you don’t know how to ride.
If you know how to drive a car, then there will be no problems with a bike. Denis got on the bike for the first time in his life and immediately went. I remember that I was very surprised then, because my husband could only drive a car. But as the practice of our many acquaintances has shown, almost everyone repeats the success of Denis.
If you have never sat at the steering wheel before, did not drive a motorcycle or even a bicycle, then you may have problems. There are 5 options here.
- First: do not tempt fate and take a taxi. not as cheap as we would like, but for a couple of weeks of vacation you are unlikely to go broke.
- Second: rent an ordinary bike or an electric bike.
- Third: use the services of motorbikers. These are such lazy people who, sitting on their bike in the shade of a palm tree, happily wave to each foreigner and offer to roll him where he orders. The prices are lower than for a taxi, but it is necessary to bargain, lazy people like to give a tourist a ride once a day, having torn off 3 times more than they should and rest further.
- Fourth: ask friends living in Vietnam to teach you how to drive. Study will take 1-2 days, no more. If you think that you have no one in Vietnam, then most likely you are mistaken. It sometimes seems to me that already half of our native Chelyabinsk has visited at least once or even already lives in Vietnam. There are a lot of ours here, they will help, do not even hesitate!
- Fifth: find groups of guys on VKontakte who rent bikes in Vietnam. They are also engaged in training. It is not expensive.
There is a small nuance: if you know for yourself that you are, let's say, a bit of a nervous type, then I think the Vietnamese movement will annoy you very much. And irritation and safety on the road did not stand next to each other, so I suggest not to put yourself and others in danger. In Vietnam, it is not the strongest who survive, but the calmest. Pokerface is our everything! :)
6. I rented a bike and realized that cars and buses oppress bikes.
In Asia, there is a rule - who is more, he is the main one. So the main buses on the road. In Sri Lanka, they drive at an unrealistic speed, overtaking and cutting everyone in a row, in Vietnam, the buses are more decent, but they still feel like kings. Treat buses like jeeps on Russian roads - if you behave impudently, let the idiot pass, don't endanger yourself. You will scorch in response, you will achieve nothing but an accident, because not a single participant in the movement will expect retaliatory measures from you. In general, not everything is so bad, I would even say that everything is fine, because on Asian roads there are very often paved roadsides designed for two-wheeled vehicles. A good separate road only for motorcycles, bikes and bicycles is very convenient and correct.
How to use transport and observe traffic rules in Vietnam: advice and recommendations from experts on a safe stay in Vietnam. Prohibitions and restrictions in Vietnam.
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The main means of transportation in the country is road and rail transport. The transport fleet of Vietnam is rather dilapidated, but there is a lot of transport, so the tourist has an alternative. In the city you can use buses, taxis, rented cars. It is recommended to travel between cities by train.
City public transport is overcrowded with passengers, there is no clear schedule, the speed is low, the roads are not the smoothest, stuffy inside. However, city drivers can stop anywhere, and the fare is minimal: for example, one trip on a Hanoi city bus will cost about 0.30 USD.
Vietnamese taxis are cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, boats and boats. Meters are not installed everywhere, but everywhere and always you need to agree on the cost. Try to bargain up to an amount of no more than 1.5 USD for a 15-minute trip. At night, do not use rickshaws and motorcycle taxis, only cars.
There is always an opportunity to rent a car, but it is not recommended for an inexperienced tourist to do this. In Vietnam, traffic is chaotic everywhere, there are practically no parking spaces, in case of an accident, the one who has the most expensive car is always guilty, and the foreigner driving is the object of the "hunt" of local traffic police. Therefore, when renting a car, rent it with a local driver. If you still want to move around on your own, rent a moped (for the Vietnamese, it’s habitually sounds “motorbike”) - it’s both cheaper and safer. You can also rent a bike, but getting around will be more difficult.
Make intercity trips by train - the car is more spacious and not as shaky as the bus. But, if you travel in a budget class, keep an eye on things - thieves work here. Stay away from windows and cover them - local children love to have fun throwing stones and dirt at the windows. It is not very comfortable to ride in soft intercity buses, they move slowly, and sometimes you can freeze from the operation of the air conditioner. Always keep all tickets until the end of the trip.
When purchasing tickets or renting a vehicle, first contact the administrators of your hotel - they will help resolve the issue faster. When you travel, write down your destinations in Vietnamese on slips of paper and show them to the driver if necessary.
When moving on foot (sometimes faster due to traffic), keep in mind that walking on the carriageway is a common practice, as the sidewalks are cluttered with furniture and mopeds. Cross the road carefully and slowly, but decisively - in most settlements there are no traffic lights, the movement is non-stop: when you see a gap between moving motorcycles (two meters), start a smooth, calm movement, the next motorcyclist will bypass you. If you are afraid, first watch how the locals cross the street. The speed of traffic in cities does not exceed 50 km / h. Cars move on the extreme left lane.
Prices on the page are for November 2019.
Traveling on a motorcycle or scooter in Vietnam requires certain skills and knowledge of the specifics of the traffic rules (SDA) in this country. Many write that there are no rules in Vietnam, you just need to drive carefully. I can not agree with their arguments, I can confidently say that there are rules! Yes, the rules are somewhat different from ours, and just like ours, the Vietnamese can break these rules. Nevertheless, most of the participants in the movement comply with the rules.
I cannot guarantee that everything described by me is the official traffic rules of Vietnam, but I can guarantee that the real situation on the road obeys the laws described in this article. Agree, in reality the state of affairs is more practical.
Location of vehicles in Vietnam
Traffic conditions in Vietnam are somewhat different and are characterized by a huge number of two-wheeled vehicles: motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, so there are dedicated areas for the movement of these vehicles. Instead of our gravel roadside, in Vietnam the roadside is always asphalted or concreted. This paved roadside is designed for two-wheeled vehicles. In the figure, I depicted the location of vehicles on the track:
Photos of the road on the section Quy Nhon - Nha Trang
Can I enter the lane for cars? It is possible, it is not forbidden, but cars have the right of way when driving on this lane. This means that if something happens, you will need to quickly change lanes. Usually such a case occurs when they want to overtake in this lane.
For example, you are driving along the lane for cars, and a truck is dragging towards you, and a bus is behind the truck (the bus wants to overtake the truck). And be sure the bus will overtake in the oncoming lane, driving into your lane, and you need to quickly get away from this lane, because. the bus will fly towards you.
Therefore, we move very carefully along the lane for cars, and constantly control the possibility of pulling to the right. With experience, you will learn to understand when a bus may take off towards you. Pay attention to the road surface on the right lane, there may be sand or rice drying 🙂
Everything described above applies to traffic on roads outside cities, in cities motorized transport is carried out in all lanes, and there can be up to 5 in each direction.
In Vietnam, right-hand traffic is familiar to us, but if for us driving in the oncoming lane is something out of the ordinary, we can’t even imagine that someone will drive towards us along the side of the road, then in Vietnam this is normal practice.
A Vietnamese was driving, drove past a store, and suddenly remembered that his wife asked to buy bread. Why cross over to the other side of the road when you can just walk back on the side of the road.
Often someone will drive towards you, clinging to the side of the road, you will need to move to the center of the road. Those who drive towards them drive carefully and let everyone pass, but you need to be sympathetic to this manner of movement.
All of the above applies to traffic on roads outside cities, in large cities motorized transport is carried out in all lanes, there may be 5 in each direction.
Vehicle Priorities on the Roads of Vietnam
The most "cool" buses on the roads of Vietnam, they rush at great speed along the left lane, constantly honk, overtake in the oncoming lane, and in general, behave extremely aggressively. Buses are inferior. Be extremely careful with them.
The most predictable on the roads of Vietnam are truckers on long vehicles, as a rule, they drive at a constant speed, when changing lanes they always turn on the turn signals, all movements are smooth and measured. At unregulated intersections, long vehicles always have an advantage over motorized vehicles, all motorcyclists slow down and let the truck pass.
The most reckless are small trucks like our ZIL 130x, you can expect anything from them, they can change lanes, turn around, stop and leave the lanes completely unexpectedly for you. Our gazelists always drive by the rules compared to these comrades.
Ordinary cars in Vietnam do not stand out much, as a rule, they drive predictably, they don’t climb anywhere, they don’t risk overtaking in the oncoming lane once again. Although there are exceptions.
Motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles—to put it bluntly, two-wheelers have far less priority than four-wheelers. And by and large, their task is to do so as not to interfere with four-wheelers. Pay attention - here no one will yield to a cyclist, the exact opposite happens.
People on the roads of Vietnam are inferior creatures, no one will let you through, forget about pedestrian crossings too. But it is not customary to crush pedestrians, so pedestrians cross the road anywhere, and vehicles go around them, like water flows around a stone in a river. Often the only way to cross the road is simply to step into the street, then in a steady pace (predictably) just cross the road.
Crossing rules
It is not surprising to move straight, it is enough to be able to control a motorcycle and you will quickly get used to the dense traffic of Vietnam. Difficulties arise with the passage of intersections, it is sometimes difficult to understand when to go and when to stand.
If the intersection is equipped with a traffic light, then we can say you are lucky: we are going to the green, we are standing on the red. But we take into account two possible features of the passage of intersections:
The first feature is that intersections are often equipped with a sign that allows you to turn right on a red light, of course, letting those who go on a green light pass. Look for the corresponding sign next to the green one (it's either a green arrow - then everyone can go, or an additional traffic light with a motorcyclist, allowing only motorcyclists to go to the right).
The second feature is that it often happens that on busy sections, before moving in the forward direction, traffic participants allow those who need it to first turn left. It seems that this is not regulated by anything, but we have seen such a picture more than once - pay attention to the picture.
If the intersection is not equipped with a traffic light and there are no priority signs, and in Vietnam they are almost always absent, then we pass the intersection safely as follows:
- We let long trucks (trucks) pass, it’s hard for them in Vietnam, we have to give in;
- We try to get into a large stream of transport, or join some group of Vietnamese. The bottom line is that the crossroads are moved in groups, if you are alone, no one will let you through, and if you are a group of more than from the other direction, then your group will be missed. Hence the rule: on which side more people have accumulated - those are going, whoever is smaller - they are inferior.
Roundabouts pass in the same way, wait until more motorcycles gather from your direction and move along with the group - then they will let you in. According to personal feelings, sections with roundabouts are the most difficult and incomprehensible in terms of priorities.
The main rule is be predictable to other road users, move smoothly but persistently.
Speed limit in Vietnam
They don't drive fast in Vietnam: the following speed limits are set for motorcycles:
- within the city - 40 km/h
- outside the city - 60 km/h
- permissible limit without penalty - 5 km / h
In general, I would recommend observing the speed limit, the traffic conditions are difficult. In addition, often someone on the right drives across the road, thinking that you are moving at 40 km / h and have time to slow down, but in fact you are flying under 70 and you have no way to slow down. A couple of such cases and all the desire to drive in the city disappears. So do not exceed for your own safety.
What else do you need to know
Neither Russian nor international law is recognized in Vietnam. Of course, you do not have local rights. But if you follow the rest of the rules, the police will only wave to you and wish you good luck. We were never stopped, but welcomed at every post. In extreme cases, they will tell you the amount of the bribe.
In Vietnam, you can only ride in a helmet, without a helmet you will be stopped at the first post.
Just in case, I publish a table of fines:
- Riding without a helmet - from 100,000 to 200,000 VND
- Driving without a license - from 800,000 to 1,200,000 VND
- Driving without a technical passport or without numbers - from 300,000 to 400,000 VND
- Exceeding the speed limit by 5 km / h - from 100,000 to 200,000 VND
- Exceeding the speed limit by 10 km / h - from 500,000 to 1 million VND
- Exceeding the speed limit by 20 km / h or more - from 2 to 3 million VND
Conclusion
Well, perhaps all the rules for driving on the roads of Vietnam. In fact, there is nothing complicated about them, the main thing is to understand that they are different. After a couple of days of trains, you will get comfortable and begin to understand the situation on the road as well as the locals.
If you still have any questions - ask in the comments.
If you decide to ride around Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, then my article about this trip
P.S. Many thanks to the creators of the road editor Autokadabra, with its help I was able to visualize traffic situations.
Those who have visited the countries of Southeast Asia will not be surprised by the specifics of their traffic - since the vast majority of transport in these countries is millions of motorbikes, the organization of traffic is also based on their technical capabilities and the specific local mentality.
In principle, having visited Sri Lanka and Thailand, with their left-hand traffic, I thought that I was ready to perceive the traffic situation in Vietnam, besides, the traffic there is right-hand, like ours - but how wrong I was;))
The first thing that a pedestrian who gets to Vietnam understands is that in this country the rules for crossing the road that are familiar to us all do not work at all;))
No, of course, the well-known road markings - "zebra" - are present there, there are signs of pedestrian crossings ...
But the Vietnamese do not have the habit of stopping in front of them as a class;))
No, car drivers, of course, when they see a pedestrian who has stepped onto a pedestrian crossing, they will most likely stop and let him through - but this rule does not apply at all to numerous motorbikers who stop before the crossing only in exceptionally extreme cases, when they have nowhere to go at all;))
In other cases, motorbikes will smoothly flow around the crossing ones, without even braking - and therefore the pedestrian must step on the crossing decisively, firmly and not quickly, leaving time and distance for the numerous motorized brothers to maneuver. ;)
However, usually the flow of traffic on the streets is not as dense as in the photo below, and it is quite realistic, slowly moving across the road, to cross it, while you will be flown around from all sides by a stream of beeping bikers, and you yourself will be flowing around from heat and stress;))
Of the advantages of such an organization of the Vietnamese movement - the practical absence of traffic jams that usually occur before crossings with us, and the low average speed of motorbikers - the bulk of the Vietnamese move at speeds of 30-40 kilometers per hour, which, however, does not exclude the presence of reckless drivers (among which a significant percentage are our compatriots, as it seemed to me);))
Excluding peak hours in the morning, evening and at lunchtime, the flow is not so dense at all that it usually does not cause difficulties with the transition.
In addition to a variety of motorbikes, cycle rickshaws also move along the roads - many of them have acquired an electric hub motor on their bikes and jump off, enjoying the electric traction.
In the evening, this electric unit lights up a bunch of LED strips, which are decorated around the entire perimeter ...
And the rickshaw turns into a kind of mobile Christmas tree;))
However, there are also old-school units that use exclusively muscular traction:
At the same time, their owners behave rather impudently, easily occupying the left car lane and even imposingly changing lanes as soon as the rickshaw wants to.
Among the supporters of the muscular old school there are also cargo bikes:
Another feature of the Vietnamese road traffic is the completely indifferent attitude of bikers to the choice of lane.
If your own, passing lanes turn out to be loaded - no one bothers about this, everyone just changes lanes to oncoming traffic and pushes themselves further where necessary:
The sidewalk is also suitable for traffic - it doesn’t matter if it is on the opposite or on the opposite side;))
Here, pay attention - almost the same section of the road - and on the opposite side they either go in one direction, then in the opposite direction, or this and that, that, and even diagonally;))
Quite specific traffic at intersections;))
It is completely incomprehensible what are the priorities at roundabouts - looking at the markings? it is logical to assume that the ring is the main thing, but the biker does not care at all about this. ;))
As I understand it, the first to go is the one who is bolder, beeps more or louder;))
There are, as it were, regulated intersections - but bikers cross them, like a crowd of drunken cockroaches, to whom it seems more convenient along what trajectory;))
In general - not boring;))
Even in Saigon, where traffic looks more organized and disciplined compared to the resort of Nha Trang, at any intersection, at any traffic light, there are always the "smartest" ones, who most of all need to pass exactly on the red or on the oncoming lane;))
On the small streets, pedestrians also roam as they please;))
Another interesting feature of the traffic in Vietnam is that even if the traffic is heavy, there will always be one or two motorbikers who need to "just around here" ride along the opposite side of the road towards the flow;))
And this is not an isolated occurrence ;)
In addition, it is damn contagious - these two Germans would probably never allow themselves this in their Germany. And in Vietnam, they easily rebuild in the Vietnamese way and have fun sawing in the opposite direction;))
Well, the Buddha himself ordered the Vietnamese to go like this;))
The presence of such "I'm not far away" makes you turn your head 360 degrees when crossing the street - this is not "look left, then right";))
The next nuance of the Vietnamese movement is the transportation of goods on motorbikes.
Quite a lot of people travel not alone, but carrying either a passenger or some kind of luggage, and often quite curious;))
A couple of chairs?
Fantomas mom with fantomas daughter?
Easy!
Stack of boxes?
Nivapros!
Didn't fit in the back?
Let's load ahead!
Thermal booth?
No problem!
Oversized?
Well, so what? ;))
You say only 1 box will fit?
What if you need four?
No problem!
If you need to carry even more - that is, cargo motorbikes:
View restriction?
No, you haven't!
The New Year is just around the corner, how can we celebrate without a festive tree? ;)
By the way, please note that despite the disregard for other traffic rules, the Vietnamese strictly comply with the requirement to ride in a helmet.
However, evil tongues say that the Vietnamese authorities achieved this in a fairly simple and very effective way - they handed out bamboo sticks to the traffic police. with which they foolishly "fined" those who rode without a helmet - and the nation instantly took the lesson ;)))
As I already said, in the 13 millionth Saigon, the attitude to traffic rules is more disciplined than in the resort of Nha Trang - which, however, does not prevent Saigons and Saigons from driving on sidewalks even with an empty roadway;)
In general, having seen enough of all these "beauties" on the first day upon arrival in Vietnam, I decided not to rent a motorbike there, besides, Vietnam joined the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic quite recently (in 2014), and Russian Driving licenses of only a new type are valid on its territory, and category A is not open for me;)).
