Ok, this entry is a bit long, but it’s hard not to be long-winded talking about Hanoi traffic.
Traffic in Hanoi is zany. I’d say crazy or insane, but to Hanoi drivers, it actually makes sense. There is a pattern, or at least a recognizable style of driving, that enables commuters to get where they are going, usually unscratched. At the same time, to an outsider, it first seems like a dizzying, whirling flood. Now, among foreign service officers (and probably among any group of people that has done some traveling), there always appears to be a bit of one-upsmanship when it comes to traffic. “Oh, you think traffic in X is bad/dangerous, let me tell you about Y. Coffin cars routinely prowl the streets to pick up the scores of traffic fatalities littering the road” and that sort of thing. So, I understand that many people have their own tales of traffic madness. But, I think Hanoi can go toe to toe (or wheel to wheel) with most cities when it comes to roadway mayhem.
You can roughly break traffic in Hanoi down into the following proportions: 80% scooters, 10% (but growing) automobiles, and 10% bikes. Actually, the numbers for scooters also continue to skyrocket – up to 20% new scooters (roughly 1 million) on Vietnamese roads every year, adding to the already crushing masses on the city streets. Purchasing a new scooter is a sign of entering the middle class and Hanoi has dozens of dealerships selling Japanese, Italian, Chinese and local brands. Scooters aren’t that cheap, running from $700 to over $8,000 - a big chunk of change in a country with a per capita income below $1,000. With import taxes now at 83%, purchasing an imported car can take a lot of money. That hasn’t stopped people and we frequently see Porsche Cayennes, BMW 7-series sedans, and Lexuses (Lexi?) on the roadways. These are $150,000 cars. Hanoi even has a banana-yellow Ferrari prowling the streets.
The huge number of scooters creates a traffic pattern unlike anyplace I’ve ever visited – a seeming free for all in which stop lights are considered advisory measures and stop signs completely ignored. There is no such thing as a one way street and each lane may be filled with several mini-lanes of scooter drivers zooming this way and that. At first glance, intersections are complete mayhem as drivers weave their way in between other bikers, pedestrians, and cars to make turns (never from the proper lane) or continue straight ahead. Waves of scooters (think school of fish) enter an intersection, meet waves heading in other directions, seemingly merge for a little bit, and then break free again. Unlike Bangkok (or even Kampala), where cars ruled the road, the preponderance of scooters keeps traffic moving. Things slow down at intersections or traffic circles, but the mobility of the scooters usually prevents total gridlock – except during rainstorms in which the traffic system seizes up. During rush hours, gas stations have queues of scooters several dozen deep, lined up to fill their tanks and many small shops around town advertise oil changes, tire patching, and other maintenance for the small motorcycles. Other individuals set up shop on sidewalks and street corners waiting for the inevitable flat or breakdown to set to work.
With this laissez faire traffic system, car and scooter drivers rely heavily on their horns to let people know where they are, if they are passing or slowing down. Almost like a new form of sentient life. There are short beeps, long hoots, and powerful bursts. Scooters bleat out high pitched yelps, taxis drivers lean on their horns, and trucks put out loud and deep roars. Some car owners seem to have modified their horns to sound like train whistles, which can be quite disconcerting to listen to as you venture out into the street. Speaking of walking into the street, Hanoi is not very pedestrian friendly. Or at least not friendly to pedestrians who want to get to cross the street. No pedestrian flyovers, oft ignored traffic lights, and mysterious traffic patterns make every journey an adventure. The Hanoi style is to just step out into the street (usually in the middle of the block to better see oncoming traffic) and just keep going. Don’t run, don’t stop, and never, never turn back. Pick a time when traffic is mostly scooters and take the plunge. Look both ways and track where the scooters are going. They will see you and plot their routes accordingly. Keep following them with your eyes and keep moving. You may need to pause briefly to let a car zoom by, but then quickly get on your way again. My God! Did you just see that bus! Never take on a bus. Don’t forget about the bicycles or peddlers walking down the street carrying their wares on poles. Whew, it just missed. It’d be a shame to escape the traffic only to get poked to death. There, you’ve made it. No problem.
Scooter drivers display a striking nonchalance while edging between buses and cars. Pairs of girls drive side by side laughing and talking or chatting on cell phones, texting or applying make up. Schoolgirls pedal bicycles sedately on their way to and from class, with Mickey Mouse or Barbie bookbags over their shoulders and red scarves tied loosely around their necks. I have seen kids eat breakfast, do homework and fall asleep on the back of a scooter. When classes let out, rows of parents onboard their Hondas or Vespas wait to pick up kids, almost like the carpools I remember from elementary school.
Motorbikes have a dramatic influence on Vietnamese fashion. Since people spend much of the day on the back of a bike, exposed to the elements, their clothing reflects this. In a vain attempt to block out the ever-present fine particles of dust, women and children wear mouth coverings while navigating Hanoi streets. However, instead of plain white or grey, you can choose from dozens of designs, flowers, abstract, funky, chic. Vietnam scooter attire, aside from its lack of safety benefits, has some interesting characteristics. In the daytime, for many women, either a man’s dress shirt loosely draped across the body and over the actual outfit or a combination shirt/mask/gloves, sewed together to form one garment. Men have fewer scooter-specific fashion accoutrements, but often seem to wear the flimsiest of flipflops to navigate Hanoi’s roads. Parents of both sexes (though usually women) will wear fabric that wraps around their wastes and swaddles the youngest passengers behind them so they won’t fall off. Teenage boys zoom in and out of traffic with gelled hair slicked back following the latest Korean fashions. Young girls perch sideways keeping their mini-skirts in place, while chatting with their friends on the next bike.
Like the Thais, Vietnamese treat scooters as multiple person vehicles, sort of like Americans treat the mini-van or pick up truck. Plenty of room for the wife and kids, plus the shopping. I’ve seen more goods loaded on the back of a scooter than in many SUVs. Things I’ve seen on the back of a scooter: dead goats, dogs, and pigs, palm trees (live and plastic), industrial supplies, beer kegs (not just one, but three at a time), vases. It’s not exactly “pimp my motorbike”, but Hanoians more and more are personalizing their motorbikes to stand out from the crowd. Chic women now sport designer seat cushions or feature elaborate, floral designs on their bikes. Around the corner, a block of small shops will craft leopard skin pattern motorbike bodies.
Government officials acknowledge that about 15,000 Vietnamese die each year from traffic accidents. My only question is: that’s it? I have to admit my amazement at the talent many Vietnamese bring to the road and have seen very few traffic incidents in our first year here. However, nearly 35 Vietnamese die every die, overburdening its few trauma hospitals and causing economic losses estimated at over $1 billion per year. When we first got here, we would see parents drive their bare-headed toddlers to nursery school, pregnant women primly ride side-saddle on the back of Hondas or Suzukis, with cloth caps to keep their hair in place, but nothing else. Many drivers do don masks to protect their lungs from the fumes and a few women wear gloves to protect their skin from the sun, but almost no one protects their heads. Maddening . . . and deadly.
Last December, Vietnam finally instituted a mandatory helmet law requiring each person on a motorbike to wear protective headgear. Overnight, the number of persons wearing helmets jumped from 3% to over 95%. Since then, compliance has been remarkably stable, with one exception. The authorities continue to allow children under 14 to go without helmets as some parents believe the weight of the helmets may injure children’s cranial development. You know what will impact a child’s cranial development? Plowing headfirst into the pavement at 40 kmh, without a helmet. So, now you see a scooter with mom and dad wearing helmets, but the kids bareheaded. Needless to say, there have been many accidents with the parents surviving and the kids dying of head trauma.
Many people believe that as the temperature heats up, compliance will plummet. However, one new trend points otherwise. When out during the sunny, summer months, Vietnamese women typically wear broad, floppy hats to protect their faces from the sun. Some were concerned that helmets do not provide the same sun-shade and women would switch back to the flimsy cloth tops. But, I’ve recently seen a new trend. Stalls now are selling cloth brims that can attached to the outside of helmets to provide full sun covering. In many colors and designs, I think this indicates a recognition by consumers and manufacturers that helmets are here to stay and they need to adapt. After the advent of helmet laws (more on this below), many women began to wear helmet bonnets that they fasten to their helmets to turn them into multi-functional headpieces. Not only for safety, but now to be worn when marketing or socializing. Teenagers have taken to wearing smaller caps that look like jockey’s helmets or flimsy plastic pieces shaped like bowler hats. Of no use in an accident, but I suppose they think they look good.
