It's one thing to have grown up and raised children in that environment, and quite another to come in as a visitor. I have no doubt that Vietnamese parents and children have little trouble crossing the streets in busy cities, like Hanoi; but, I personally was a bit disconcerted and was almost hit twice (Once by a scooter going the wrong way down the road - I was looking the other way; and another time by a scooter that had intended to run a red light and didn't see me crossing - she came to a screeching halt and just bumped my leg.)

I imagine that if I had been culturally adapted to the traffic patterns, I wouldn't have had these near misses; but, it's hard to pick up these habits on short notice. I remember walking along a path in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and being admonished by a local to be more observant - I might encounter an elephant on the path if I didn't watch out. Watching for elephants on the sidewalk wasn't a habit I had picked up as yet.