As a seasoned world traveller, I’m always surprised how many things are the same across the globe.
Everywhere, people live in houses, typically in families. They cook and eat, wash and clean. They move around in various modes of transport on roads and paths. They work and play, buy and sell, laugh and cry, have children and grow old and die.
And yet we enjoy travel because of the variations and nuances between countries and cultures.
They are often delightful, at other times frustrating, but always fascinating and rich food for our senses, memories and stories.
Vietnam has many more colourful variations than average.
Food, fashion, shops, religion, culture, weather, transport and traditions are all so different to the west. A mix of Asian and French influences and a dramatic history of war and occupation have resulted in a unique cocktail of differences.
Let’s start with something quite simple – the scooters! Yes those two-wheeled motorised bicycles are everywhere. Some may be motorbikes, but people refer to them as scooters. Maybe because they scoot with alacrity.
They meander and weave down every road and path. Somehow they avoid pedestrians, inanimate objects, other vehicles and each other. They honk their horns randomly. They happily go from here to there without concern for rules or regulations. Yes there are lines in the road, zebra crossings and traffic lights, but these seem to be purely decorative or at best advisory. They stop whenever they like and mount pavements at their own convenience.
I’ve not seen the Vietnamese highway code but I expect it’s a single line – “go anywhere you like and don’t crash into anything”.
There is only one way to cross a road. Waiting for a gap is pointless. There won’t be one at any time after 6am. Waiting at a zebra crossing is exactly the same, except the road will be striped.
So the only way to cross is to walk. Walk out into the road, unhesitatingly and with confidence. The scooters will obey their one-line highway code and either slow down, speed up or steer round you. So cross with confidence and no sudden movements.
There are very few cars – too expensive, too wide and unable to wiggle. There are hardly any bicycles – presumably too slow and energy sapping. The only bicycles are those pushing tuk-tuks for a living.
So the roads are swarming with scooters. Drivers of all ages, some stacked with impossible loads. Others with passengers. We saw one with a small maybe 6 years old child hanging off the back with the their baby brother squeezed in between it and its mother.
One variation within the country. They wear helmets in the south but not in the north.
And it all works. Everyone has one. They are cheap to run. They can go anywhere. They can meander through traffic. They rule the roads.
I’ve only seen this in two other places – Rome and Kathmandu. I think it could catch on.
Unwrapping The World 