There are 4 million people in Hanoi. The first thought upon reaching the city is that they each have a motorcycle. That wouldn’t make sense though, as many bikes have three, four, or five riders and assorted farmyard animals. We even saw one bike with a kitchen sink strapped on!
There are very few traffic lights so it is basically a free for all. The horn is used as a surrogate indicator and brake. Crossing the road takes some getting used to. You hop out onto the road (you have little choice in this matter as the footpath is clogged with parked bikes) and hope that you survive. Our guidebook tells us to walk “constantly and without erratic movements”, and that bicycles are “deeply untrendy”. This didn’t stop Kim almost being run over by a little girl riding a bicycle with a chihuahua in the basket. The streets of Hanoi are a crazy sight and video might convey the feeling better than these photos.
Cars aren’t allowed in much of Hanoi so to get around you can either use a Cyclo (”see-klo“, a rickshaw) or on the back of a xe om (“say-omm”, a motorbike).
- rob
Posted in Vietnam - Hanoi
