Rulesof the Road in Vietnam

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  Hanoi, Vietnam
Friday, November 16, 2007

Hello friends, family and other travelers.  It's midnight here-Jenna's out like a light so I'm typing this one. 

We
got back into town last night from our trip to Ha long Bay and arrived
at the hotel that I arranged  the night before.  They had good rooms,
good computers, fast internet and I figured it was a good thing since
most of the hotels in Hanoi were already booked for Thursday Night.  I
put a deposit down on the room so they would hold it for us.  Got to
the counter and they acted like they had no clue who we were or what I
was asking

Crossing the Street in Hanoi

.  They seemed to have "forgotten" about the deposit I put
down the other night. (travelers note:  Always get a paid receipt) I
pulled it out and showed them and they said "Oh Yes, We are having some
problems with some of the electricity in some of the rooms-we don't
have a room for you...So Sorry"  Jenna and I had heard about these
"electricity" problems which was just simply overbooking for a better
rate so we held our ground.  They eventually agreed to put us up in
another hotel they owned a few miles away.  Here's where the next
adventure lies...

We then get on two moto bikes (sorry moms) and
rode with two guys from the hotel to this new place.  We didn't go too
fast (15 mph) since there was so much traffic so it was harmless.  It
was a neat experience to be party of the "Moto Madness" Jenna talked
about the other day

Halida-Vietnamese Beer-Safer than water!

. 

I have learned the following about Vehicles in Vietnam:

1. 
Buses, Transport Trucks, Dump trucks, etc have the right of way
period.  It doesn't matter if the light is green or red (the lights and
signs are simply "suggestions" to the drivers).  Surprisingly we
haven't seen many accidents-every seems to get out of the way.

2. 
Taxis  (2nd on the Transportation food chain) are the King of the road
in the city as the buses and trucks can't move fast enough to build up
the much needed speed to intimidate everyone else.  To be a taxi driver
it seems as though you have be able to say 5 dollar, drive a stick
shift (somewhat), and be able to honk the horn

Ride on Moto

.  Actually knowing how
to read a map or knowing where the places in the city are would only
come after the first 3 skills had been acquired. 

3. 
Motorbikes (AKA Motos) make up the great majority of travelers in
Vietnam.  They also have to learn to use the horn frequently and dodge
#1 and #2 unless they are traveling in a pack-then this would be their
strength (Teamwork).  If enough of #3 get going in one direction both
#2 and #1 will stop until they pass.

4.  Bikes (Yes Bicycles) come next to last.  Same rules except instead of a horn they use small bells.

5.  Walking (This is where we fit the bill most of the time)  Lowest on the moving food chain-it's fun though.

I'll throw in some short video of typical traffic, crossing the street, etc.

So
back to the updates-got to the hotel-it's okay-place to hang our hats
for the night and then go out to have dinner at a trendy place called
Cafe Mocha.  It was very westernized (which we normally try to stay
away from while traveling) however some of the Aussies on our trip had
recommended it.  Food was great, good atmosphere, fairly cheap and we
ran into one of the British girls on our trip so she joined us for
dinner and drinks there.  We explored the rest of the city last night
and we back for some much needed rest.


We leave Hanoi tomorrow and head to Ho Chi Ming City, (Saigon) Vietnam.

Side
Note:  Some of you have emailed about the country side:  We were able
to see about 3.5 hours of the northern part of Vietnam on our trip by
bus to Ha long Bay the typical countryside is farm land mixed with
houses.  There are a lot of new houses being built throughout the
country.  We've noticed lots of narrow (like Charleston row houses)
houses that are 3/4 stories tall and very deep.  On of the locals told
us that many people live with their entire family.  From Great
Grandkids to Great Grand Parents so they build big family houses to
live in.

Also several people have asked about how the vietnamese
view americans. Most people can't tell we Americans.  Surprisingly many
people ask me if I'm German!  There are a lot of travelers from all
over the Globe but a lot from Europe, Austrailia, and New Zeland.  The
Vietnamese people (that we've talked to) don't really like to talk much
about the war as this is now a country that is trying to get away from
that image.  More to follow on this in a few days.

Sorry if this isn't as catchy as Jenna's are.  I'm tired and wanted to update you all.

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