Asia - Hanoi Traffic is C-R-A-Z-Z-Z-Y

That crazy Hanoi Traffic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1FC1xasifI) in a timelapse video here:-::-::-::-::-:

Roads pretty empty except for bicycles on my first trip in 1993. Seems so long ago now.

Roads pretty empty except for bicycles on my first trip in 1993. Seems so long ago now.

Please, bring back those days!

Cute video (love the boats racing around the lakes!) but I guess it's a matter of perspective. By developing Asia standards, I don't find Hanoi traffic all that crazy. Though being a pedestrian and trying to cross the street anywhere near that intersection by the City View Cafe building by Hoan Kiem Lake is definitely an exercise in Faith these days!

Please, bring back those days!

It was an odd place then. They had only just relaxed laws on locals having contact with foreigners. Despite that, most people actively avoided contact and closed doors to their shops/restaurants as you approached. Well these places didn't look very commercial/inviting anyway. Practically nobody spoke English though the older people often knew French. Russian was more widely spoken. I asked my guide where the Cathedral was, and he said there wasn't one. Later I showed it to him and he said that he wasn't prepared to talk about it. Of course Catholics in the north are lower in number and more controlled than in the south. I did make a service though. An alterboy saw me loitering and sneaked me in through a side entrance. He gave me a tour using a torch and told me when to return for the service. They weren't allowed to "advertise" mass times. At the correct time a 20 or so people suddenly appeared - the outer gates were opened - they slipped through (including me) and everything locked behind them. Just as the service started, the power was turned off and the propaganda speakers fired up. Impossible to hear the priest and you had only candle light to see by. At the end of the service the power came back on. As the small congregation left, we were outnumbered outside by very obvious secret police who pushed cameras in our faces, taking photos - so close I'm sure they didn't focus. Surreal. I'm not particularly religious, but I did admire those people keeping it going through the years.

I stayed in the Dan Chu (Democracy) hotel (on Trang Tien street), one of the few hotels able to take westerners and of fading but fine colonial heritage. (Unlike the Metropole whose roof had partially collapsed.) They had different pricing depending on whether you were from a communist country, whether you were a war hero, whether you were a teacher etc. There was only one English speaker and her English was poor - she spoke Russian and German ahead of English. Food was awful. In fact, I think that's the biggest change in Hanoi. Zero choice/dire food to a range of restaurants with delicious food to suit all tastes.

The Dan Chu was subsequently refurbished and when I last looked it looked like it was being demolished to make way for an international group hotel. Pity, I kept on meaning to return.

Amazing, one don't need to go that far south to see it - same patterns everywhere including HCMC. Rules (if any) aren't enforced on driving, riding & crossing against traffic flow or on the "wrong ??" side of the street or zooming pass the red (green, yellow, etc.) light. :rolleyes:

And, you got to give them credit for passing each other with sometimes as little as 6 inches of space in between - whether it's driving motor bikes, cars, taxis, vans & public buses, etc. and not causing fender benders. ^

The thrill is to successfully walk across the streets and back safely .... :D

I find they follow the rules slightly more in the south - so though Hanoi traffic can be lighter/slower it is more dangerous. PARTICULARLY at this time of year where motorcyclists feel the cold (it's not cold as far as I'm concerned) and tend to keep one hand in their pocket whilst riding their motorbikes, switching from time to time!

Sitting in HAN lounge now on the way out. After the initial shock, I thought the traffic was pretty efficient. If they had more traffic lights, it would take forever to get anywhere. Also, once I figured out how it worked it was pretty easy (with a little faith and courage) to cross the streets on foot.

Cute video (love the boats racing around the lakes!) but I guess it's a matter of perspective. By developing Asia standards, I don't find Hanoi traffic all that crazy. Though being a pedestrian and trying to cross the street anywhere near that intersection by the City View Cafe building by Hoan Kiem Lake is definitely an exercise in Faith these days!


I've had a handful of beers on the higher floors of that building while looking out at the 5 way (?) intersection below. The traffic flow is great to watch there.

Crossing the streets isn't that difficult but as cars become even more prevalent it will become a challenge.

I've had a handful of beers on the higher floors of that building while looking out at the 5 way (?) intersection below. The traffic flow is great to watch there.


They used to have trams running round there too! (Though less other traffic at the time.)

Crossing the streets isn't that difficult but as cars become even more prevalent it will become a challenge.

Yep. Saw an accident in Saigon just 20mins ago. A car hit a motocyclist but it was instigated by a guy crossing the road. Vehicles swerved to avoid and others compensated - but too much going on and a few brains ran out of processing power. The inevitable happened - crash and a lock-up. Just like modern day PCs.

The guy was on the ground but the people here seem bendy. Car driver got out, guy got up. All carried on, no harm done.

There is much less aggression on the roads compared with where I'm from (the UK). I think that's a key reason there aren't even more accidents.

when I was there a couple of years ago I felt really bad for the bicyclists, especially on the roads outside of the city. All of those big trucks and cars zipping around, blowing their horns. I would be scared to death to ride a bike there. But I think the law of the jungle seems well-respected by everyone. Whoever is "biggest" always has the right of way. Perhaps that leads to fewer accidents than you would expect.

One of my niece just came back from her regular HCMC business trip and we joked about it, she said it's amazing that with all that traffic flow in all directions, the pace & rhythm seemed so smooth - AND, you don't see drivers hitting their brakes all the time (sequence would be chained in "red" as everyone reactign to what's ahead.)

It's true that the bigger buses & trucks do get the "respect" and others yield as necessary - or, simply go around them as necessary, but seldom do they run into road rage like we do in the Americas - including drivers from New York & Los Angeles & their horns should take notes.

On our first trip, tour guide's tips for us for walking safely across the wide street is to look for an "opening" and start walking at a steady pace with arms out for extra attention, don't stop and don't turn around and keep going until you reach the sidewalk on the other side. It WORKED - whew!