Expert Article Final

Beep, beep!

Guide master the busy roads of Vietnam.

The cars behind you keep honking. The cloud of exhaust fumes from the bus in front of you is suffocating. You’re stuck between two crowds of mopeds, leaving you with barely a foot of wiggle room. It is a never-ending sea of mopeds, cars, buses, and trailers everywhere you look.

Vietnamese traffic may seem daunting at first, especially for foreigners. But, not to worry! There is an order to this chaos. With nearly ten years of experience driving mopeds in Vietnam, and after breaking my leg in a crash over the summer, I’ll teach you both the do’s and don’t’s you need to know to conquer these streets.



Scale Reigns Supreme



Throw out all you know about traffic laws.

In Vietnam, the laws of the jungle dictate the rules of the road. Depending on your size, you are either a prey or a predator. To survive, you must respect your position in the food chain. Mark Ashwill, an expat reporter in Vietnam, created a hierarchy of vehicles in the country:

    1. Trailers, buses, and trucks
    2. Cars
    3. Motorbikes and mopeds
    4. Bicycles
    5. Pedestrians

Trailers, buses, and trucks are like lions. They are solitary creatures that travel alone, but their size gives them unrivaled strength (Smithsonian Zoo). They drive with little regard for others and are often dangerously swerving between lanes. Furthermore, they are territorial and become aggressive when they see another of their kind (Smithsonian Zoo). There’s nothing more scary than two four-ton, forty-foot-long buses racing each other to a bus stop. Keep your distance from these apex predators.

On the other hand, mopeds are like wildebeests. They are weak on their own, but they compensate with strength in numbers (Natural Habitat Adventures). Suppose you’re a moped driver at a busy intersection with no traffic light. It’s dangerous to pass alone and to expect bigger vehicles to yield to you. Instead, wait for other mopeds traveling in the same direction to cross the intersection together as a pack. After all, even a stampede of wildebeests was able to take down even the mighty Mufasa in The Lion King!


Honks Up!

I am fluent in three languages: English, Vietnamese, and honking.

People frown upon honking in the US. In fact, under the New York City’s noise code, using a vehicle horn when there is no “imminent danger” is prohibited (Nolan). Unless your goal is to cause road rage and get brake-checked, you avoid using your horn in most situations.

In contrast, honking in Vietnam is not just common but necessary. The primary purpose of honking is to announce your existence and intentions to others. Saigoneer writer Eric van der Vorst created a playful list of honk sounds and what they mean (Eric van der Vorst):

    - RING (bicycle): “Imaschoolkidonthestreetwatchout!”
    - 1 short BEEP (motobike): “Hey, I’m here!”
    - 1 long BEEP: “I’m not stopping!”; BEEEEP in reply: “Me neither!”
    - 2 short BEEPs: “Look out!”
    - 3 short BEEPs: “Look out!” (urgent)
    - 4 short BEEPS: “I’m late for work!”
    - 1 short and 1 long BEEP from behind: “Come on man, the light is green. Move!”

I don’t just use my horn when I’m annoyed at the car blocking my right-turn lane at an intersection. When traveling in narrow alleyways less than ten feet wide, there are many blind spots. In these situations, honking is the only way to let drivers coming from the opposite direction know I’m there. It's also important when you’re traveling in the rain and on dimly lit roads, where low visibility and poor road conditions increase the risk of traffic accidents (Corwin).

My rule of thumb is to use your horn more than you think you should. It will annoy others, yes, but I assure you from firsthand experience that mean glares feel much better than crashing into a trailer, breaking your leg, getting carried away in an ambulance, and spending ten weeks walking with crutches.


Assume the Worst

 

Vietnamese drivers are way worse than all the LA drivers USC students complain about. Until recently, people could buy driver’s licenses for less than four hundred bucks without taking the test (Tuoi Tre)! Unsurprisingly, this leads to a lot of accidents: in the first half of 2024, there were more than 12,000 crashes that killed 5,255 people (Xinhua). According to the World Health Organization, this ranks Vietnam as the 30th most dangerous country to drive in.

When driving in Vietnam, assume that everyone else is psychotic. Slow down when crossing an intersection; another driver might run the red light. Stay alert when driving on an empty road; a kid might jaywalk across at any time. In particular, be alert around delivery drivers, who are notorious for violating traffic laws and driving recklessly (Tuoi Tre)!

Likewise, Vietnamese weather can be terrible. Due to climate change, extreme heat and rain is becoming more sporadic in the summer. In 04/2024, Vietnam experienced three heat waves with temperatures reaching 111°F (Phys.org). In 09/2024, Vietnam was hit by Typhoon Yagi, which flooded the streets, caused landslides, fell trees, and shut down traffic for nearly two weeks (CBS).

Don’t underestimate nature! Before I broke my leg this summer in a crash, the closest I ever got into an accident before was because of the extreme heat. After driving in the scorching heat for thirty minutes on a moped, my vision started to blur, and I started to feel dizzy. Because of this, I nearly passed out while driving and almost crashed into another moped at an intersection. So while you can’t control the weather, take precautions and ensure your safety. Check the weather forecast, stay updated with the news, wear protective gear, and be prepared for the worst scenarios.



Vietnamese roads unlike that in any other country. They are unruly and disorderly. But with this guide, you can tame a little bit of that chaos. The next time you visit Vietnam, rent a moped, put on a helmet, and hit the road, remember to be aware of your surroundings, utilize your honks, and have fun exploring the country!

Works Cited

Ashwill, Mark A. “When in Vietnam, Drive as the Vietnamese Do.” VNExpress International, Ministry of Information and Communications, 7 Oct. 2018, e.vnexpress.net/news/perspectives/when-in-vietnam-drive-as-the-vietnamese-do-3811988.html.

Corwin, Scott J. “The Link Between Car Accidents and Rain in Los Angeles.” Scott J. Corwin, A Professional Law Corporation, Scott J. Corwin, 17 June 2024, www.sjclaw.com/blog/2024/june/the-link-between-car-accidents-and-rain-in-los-a.

“GHO | Road Traffic Deaths: Data by Country.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 2 Sept. 2021, apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.51310?lang=en.

“Ho Chi Minh City Takes Action against Bad Driving Behaviors among Delivery Workers.” Tuoi Tre News, Tuoi Tre News, 17 Apr. 2024, tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20240417/ho-chi-minh-city-takes-action-against-bad-driving-behaviors-among-delivery-workers/79402.html.

Nguyen, Dinh Vinh Man, et al. “Small-Displacement Motorcycle Crashes and Risky Ridership in Vietnam: Findings from a Focus Group and in-Depth Interview Study.” ScienceDirect, Elsevier, 7 Oct. 2021, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092575352100357X#.

Nolan, Erin. “Most N.Y.C. Drivers Who Honk Are Breaking the Law. Can They Be Stopped?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/nyregion/honking-horn-illegal-nyc.html.

“Over 5,200 People Killed by Traffic Accidents in Vietnam in 6 Months.” Xinhua, Xinhua, 1 July 2024, english.news.cn/20240701/ac96a15f504c4b95b0c3eabdba1e05bf/c.html.

Rousseau, Stefan. “Vietnam’s Love Affair with Motorbikes and Mopeds – in Pictures.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Jan. 2024, www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2024/jan/01/vietnams-love-affair-with-motorbikes-and-mopeds-in-pictures.

“Tiger.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/tiger. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.

“Typhoon Yagi Death Toll over 200 as Vietnam Searches for Survivors, Flooding Hits Thailand and Myanmar.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 12 Sept. 2024, www.cbsnews.com/news/yagi-typhoon-2024-vietnam-death-toll-thailand-myanmar-floods-landslides/.

“Vietnam Temperature Records Tumble as Heat Wave Scorches.” Phys.Org, Science X Network, 4 May 2024, phys.org/news/2024-05-vietnam-temperature.html.

Vorst, Eric van der. “A Guide To Honking In Vietnam.” Saigoneer, Urbanist Network, 20 June 2014, saigoneer.com/saigon-culture/2172-a-guide-to-honking-in-vietnam.

“Where Driver’s Licenses Are Bought.” Tuoi Tre News, Tuoi Tre News, 8 July 2013, tuoitrenews.vn/news/society/20130708/where-driver%E2%80%99s-licenses-are-bought/14080.html.

“Wildebeest Facts: Southern Africa Wildlife Guide.” Natural Habitat Adventures, World Wildlife Fund, www.nathab.com/know-before-you-go/african-safaris/southern-africa/wildlife-guide/wildebeest. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.

Image 1: https://www.vietnam-tour.biz/reality-vietnam-transportation/

Image 2: https://stock.adobe.com/images/lion-hunt-wildebeests-at-masai-mara-kenya/12724320

Image 3: https://vir.com.vn/grab-vietnam-spends-3-million-supporting-driver-and-merchant-partners-from-covid-19-75227.html

Image 4: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/us/typhoon-yagi-vietnam-deaths.html