Vietnam — Crossing the road in Hanoi, Vietnam

Easier said than done!

September 2015

I mentioned in an early post that the number of motorbikes on the streets of Hanoi was amazing. It was astonishing.

Crossing the road in Hanoi can be a real challenge, particularly if you come from a western country with controlled crossings and few motorbikes.

In Hanoi, there are traffic lights (but they may not always be obeyed), and any controlled crossing points seem to be ignored. So, when crossing the road, the only thing you can do is go for it.

When crossing the road, I found no point in hanging back and waiting for a gap in the traffic. The streets were far too busy for a gap to appear. The only way to cross the road was to spot a small gap in the traffic that you could exploit and then start walking.

I found that if I walked at a constant pace, avoided speeding up or stopping and kept going, I could get across most roads.

If you try this approach, you must remain alert for traffic, keep your eyes open, and listen. By adopting this approach, I could get across most roads, and the motorbikes would swerve around me.

But be careful. In particular, watch out for electric bikes. These bikes are deadly as they make no noise and can be on top of you before you know it.

Of course, one approach to crossing the road in Hanoi is to find a friend to help. I often tagged on to a local crossing the road as they seemed to know what they were doing.

It is not impossible to cross the road in Hanoi; it is just very difficult. You need to keep your wits about yourself and be brave. Once you commit to crossing, you have to go for it.