Rush hour in Vietnam

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Rush hour in Vietnam

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:21:56 PM EDT

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=910_1374799086

WTF? They don't believe in traffic lights?

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:23:52 PM EDT

[#1]

That is what GD would look like if you could get an overhead shot.

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:24:57 PM EDT

[#2]

Country where the scooter is king. Don't really need traffic lights.

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:26:21 PM EDT

[#3]

This is why Commies should not be responsible for planning any thing.

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:26:22 PM EDT

[#4]

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That is what GD would look like if you could get an overhead shot.

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Who's that with the balloons?

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:27:17 PM EDT

[#5]

God, it's fucking insane there. I couldn't cross the street. I saw traffic lights at every intersection, people ignored them 90% of the time. Just honk your horn and go, the red sea will part. It was pretty surprising seeing a family of 5 on a motorbike that I wouldn't fit on, not to mention none of the kids wear helmets. They claim the kids heads bounce around inside the helmet, causing damage to the kids. How about put a fucking children sized helmet with a strap on them, maybe?

Edit: Oh, and there is traffic 3-4 times worse than this in the Saigon district. Seriously, like 10 bikes wide going each way, a bunch of different directions. They don't really slow down, somehow it just parts for people turning and stuff.

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:29:15 PM EDT

[#6]

Actually - although they are all swarmed together, they do basically follow rules similar to ours. More like Philly than Seattle though when it comes to pedestrians which is not so good...

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:34:32 PM EDT

[#7]

There doesn't seem to be any lanes!

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Posted: 7/25/2013 6:35:52 PM EDT

[#8]

I'd make it through maybe two intersections. In the third one there would be carnage.

Posted: 7/25/2013 6:48:49 PM EDT

[#9]

I worked in Saigon(Ho Chi Minh City) for 11 months back in 03-04, and only saw one wreck in that time. It was round a roundabout, the lead scooter laid his over, and about 20 scooters behind him came crashing down. That was a sight to see, it all literally happened in slow motion and nobody really got hurt. Within a minute of the wreck happening, everybody had their scooter up and was on their merry way.

What surprised me more than traffic flow was the stuff people would carry on those scooters. I saw two guys carry a full sized refrigerator once, and another one carrying a goat in a cage strapped to the back of the scooter!

They had scooters for rent there too, but I never had the balls to try it.

Posted: 7/25/2013 7:12:17 PM EDT

[#10]

meh, Saigon is way crazier. you can't even see the pavement. wanna cross the road? just start walking. seriously. it was easier tocross the street not looking.

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Posted: 7/25/2013 7:15:41 PM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:

That is what GD would look like if you could get an overhead shot.

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Dammit, I'm trying to drink here and you've made me ruin another keyboard...

Posted: 7/25/2013 7:27:22 PM EDT

[#12]

What a cluster fuck!

Posted: 7/25/2013 7:30:32 PM EDT

[#13]

needs more b-52s

Posted: 7/25/2013 7:49:24 PM EDT

[#14]

Quote History

Quoted:
Actually - although they are all swarmed together, they do basically follow rules similar to ours. More like Philly than Seattle though when it comes to pedestrians which is not so good...

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This is what I find in most of Asia, The rules are pretty much understood by everyone, and most often sort of followed.
Given the level of traffic, it normally works pretty well. funny how there is a certain amount of give and take.

The difference between driving there and the first world, is the lack of defensive driving you see in western countries.Most people there driving cars drive more defensively.
Cost of cars is a factor, but also just because others at an intersection have a stop sign, or red light doesn't mean they'll stop. When you are driving, disaster can come from any direction at any time, it keeps you alert, and driving defensively

Posted: 7/25/2013 7:55:10 PM EDT

[#15]

Here is a good rule of thumb for any large Asian city

Never cross the street alone. Always cross with at least one Asian person. Assholes will not stop for you, but won't run over another Asian

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:03:21 PM EDT

[#16]

When I was in Korea I occasionally drove through downtown Seoul during rush hour, on courier runs.

At first I was very paranoid about this, because at first glance, the traffic looks like absolute chaos.

Then one of the old heads explained to me that there was kind of a "Zen Buddhism" methodology to the madness.

The main rule is that if someone's front bumper is ahead of yours, then that person has the ROW if they want to merge or turn in front of you. You always yield if another car is slightly ahead of you. If you are slightly
ahead of them, they will yield for you.

Once I got used to it, it really wasn't that bad. I never had an accident.

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:10:57 PM EDT

[#17]

....pho...

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:18:54 PM EDT

[#18]

At some point the utility of vehicle horns becomes diminished. They have long ago passed that point.

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:27:53 PM EDT

[#19]

They learned their driving style from the French, and obey a similar amount of driving etiquette as the French (cross-wire the horn with the brakes) ignore lanes, lights, signs, speed limits, sanity...

Oh, BTW, that isn't much traffic compared to Saigon <spits> Ho Chi Minh City.

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:28:43 PM EDT

[#20]

Asian Drivers, No Survivors

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:29:59 PM EDT

[#21]

Needs more sidewalk driving.

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:30:21 PM EDT

[#22]

Nothing a couple of fast movers couldn't fix.

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:34:39 PM EDT

[#23]

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Quoted:

That is what GD would look like if you could get an overhead shot.

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LOL

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:39:36 PM EDT

[#24]

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There doesn't seem to be any lanes!

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If I was king for a day, I would eliminate lanes.

Posted: 7/25/2013 8:41:42 PM EDT

[#25]

its easy to ride scooter in nam. I did a scooter tour of the country- "top gear" style. After an hour on the scooter in Saigon you get used to the traffic just go with the flow and aim your scooter at behind the pedestrian. The secret of walking across the street is just look straight ahead, never walk backwards.