Crossing the Street in Saigon

It can be tricky.

The sheer number of motorbikes on the streets at any one time is staggering. They fill warehouses and crowd the sidewalks, and pour down the streets in rivers. Traffic lights are few and traffic regulations almost non-existent. Add to this normal cars, buses, bicycles, and cyclos (bicycle rickshaws) and the very idea of even setting foot on the pavement seems impossible. There are, however, certain secrets to pick up.

The first is Communism. In most societies it is incumbent upon you, the individual, to avoid getting run over. In Vietnam it is the Traffic, as a single mass, who are responsible for not killing you.

The second is that, as impossible as it seems, every one of those drivers is paying close attention to where they're going. So, if you walk at a steady pace across the street, the drivers will be able to estimate where they have to go to avoid you. If you run, stop, or made any sudden movements they'll get confused and tragedy may ensue.

When all else fails, some Vietnamese person - usually a smirking teenager or five-year-old girl, to make the experience as humbling as possible - will take pity on the poor stupid Westerner and lead you across. As soon as his foot hits the pavement the traffic will instantly - magically - flow around you, leaving a wide clear path for you to make you egress.

This isn't to say that you don't have to be reasonable. The Vietnamese are only human, and just because accidents are far less common than you would think doesn't mean they never happen. Still, if you can work up the nerves, it makes every crosswalk an adventure.