Ho Chi Minh City (TAN): Chaotically streamlined. Traffic in Vietnam’s capital is best described by this oxymoron and no wonder it took me a few days to figure out how things work on the roads here.
A mind unaccustomed to the ways of the city traffic will perpetually be on the edge waiting for an accident to happen. But give yourself some time, and you begin to see a pattern, you begin to understand the method to this madness.
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Ho Chi Minh City runs on scooters. There are hundreds of them everywhere. Nearly every local resident uses it and those who don’t own/aren’t renting one can always holler a scooter-taxi and zoom to their destination.
There are traffic lights in Ho Chi Minh City, yes. Do people follow them? Somewhat.
Traffic stops when the light is red at a major crossing. There are usually no lights for left and right turns, and traffic never stops on those. So, you see several streams of two and four-wheelers trying to turn at the same time in different directions and managing to do it every time without bumping into each other.
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Have I seen one traffic police since I have arrived? No. Do I think the city needs them? No.
How do pedestrians cross roads? Yes, there are lights for pedestrians at many places, and there are also frequent zebra crossings/crosswalks. But when you’re walking, you just look left and right and when you find a reasonable distance between you and the scooter hurtling towards you, you cross.
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But how does it work when it’s a big road and the traffic literally never stops to let you pass? You just put up a hand and step right in the middle of the heavy traffic to cross. You’ll be fine and cross safely.
You have to be very, very unlucky to get hit while crossing a road in Ho Chi Minh City.
In my several days in Ho Chi Minh City, I am yet to see a single case of accident or road rage despite the city traffic having all ingredients for that recipe.
The closest to seeing an accident happened when the spare helmet of a man on a scooter fell. He stopped 20 metres ahead, ran back to pick up the helmet, and was soon on his way.
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What I have realised is that every driver in Ho Chi Minh City expects a scooter or a pedestrian to land right in front of them in the next second. This keeps them constantly on alert. Also, they know this is how it works. No one blames anyone for traffic rule violations and everyone is accommodating. There is no I’ll-go-first attitude.
You’ll be surprised how well that works.
