Comments on: Absolutely Crazy Vietnamese Transportation

By: TheDane

TheDane — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:20:56 +0000

You forgot the fighting cock he has under his other arm…

And the 2 pigs tied up on each side of the back wheel(I got a picture of this one)…

Kim:)

By: BR

BR — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:13:01 +0000

There are many crazy laws to drive here in Vietnam. You can be driving on the absolutely correct lane to the law to find out that you’re on the wrong lane when approaching the traffic light which by the way is way to the right of the road and being blocked by a bus. And police will give you the ticket (unwritten) and you pay fine (into their pockets). I drive in so many countries Thailand, USA, France, England, Germany, but not yet understand how to drive in Vietnam. This is the laws of the forest. Police is out there to make their money, not to enforce the law. This is not the country to live in if you think “Oh I can make money”. You’ll feel sorry for yourself when you decide to come and stay.

By: Steve Elliott

Steve Elliott — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:17:04 +0000

I live in a small (ish) town in the Southwest of England. Our claim to fame is the magic roundabout Much fun!

By: Saim Baig

Saim Baig — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:41:29 +0000

I live in Pakistan.I have seen may strange things here.But in China there are some great innovations about traffic.Look quite silly but then again happens in this part of the world.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:55:44 +0000

It was like this in St Lucia when we went down for our honey moon.. just Nuts!

By: Darin

Darin — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:17:20 +0000

well, actually this is happen in all crowded city.. especially in Asia, I’m living in jakarta, not as bad as saigon, but the traffic also crowded and some people want to pass the traffic light,
I ever go to china, bangkok, taipei etc, and all big city with crowded traffic have the same problem..
but in my home town, just 30 kilometer from jakarta, the traffic is so convenience, all people obey the traffic signal. they don’t have to hurry and no traffic jam.

By: Sam

Sam — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:49:28 +0000

Man this is nothing, if you want to see crazy traffic go to Tehran (the capitol city of iran). Tehran has the most traffic related deaths in the world (this is what I had read, but a freind of mine told me that Karachi Pakistan just beat tehran).

Ive lived in tehran, and I constantly visit the city. It makes these videos from saigon look civilized. In Iran ive seen 6 people riding on one motorcycle. I have been in a taxi cab that had 15 people in it (i am not exaggerating). There is 0 regaurd for saftey or traffic laws. Motorcycles and some times even cars drive on the side walks (my aunt was hit by a taxi cab coming out of her apartment, the taxi was driving on the side walk). People drive on the oppasite side of the road through oncoming traffic, buses are so overcrowded that people actualy hang out of the bus doors while its driving. A relative of mine ordered an oven/stove from a store, the man delivered it on a motorcycle, thats right you read it correctly a MOTORCYCLE.

By: Tom Barr

Tom Barr — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:44:18 +0000

In the US we have stop lights and in some cases 4 way stop signs. I swear I saw traffic signals turn green in all directions in Seoul a couple decades back and it all flowed like pedestrians crossing each others paths in a busy shopping mall……plus a lot of little horns beeping.

By: Rhoody

Rhoody — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:25:49 +0000

everything less than 3 people on a 110cc chinese “honda”-copy is probably only a test-drive or driving school.
normally the driver is txting at the same time while the others holding big bags from shopping…

cheers

Rhoody

By: Mistergin

Mistergin — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:53:34 +0000

My friend is Vietnamese and it’s crazy how the city works. Traffic works, but to a foreigner it looks like a dangerous moving circus!

By: Derek Wong

Derek Wong — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:31:36 +0000

I’d have to agree that this is not limited at all to Vietnam. When I was in a smaller town in China, it was this exact environment. It looks and sounds crazy when you first are introduced to it, but I found that it became okay after awhile.

I must admit, though, that it was not a very peace-inducing environment. It was all about pushing as much as you can to get what you want (e.g. to cross the street). In some ways, that reminds me of New York (at least my impressions of it). There just wasn’t the same hodgepodge of modes of transportation as in China.

By: RHB

RHB — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:53:25 +0000

This Asia folks, not unique in any part of South East Asia, Malaysia, or the Philippines. In the small town I live in there are no traffic lights, the traffic is a constant merge, no one stops, and rarely are there accidents. It is not uncommon to see an entire family of four on a 120cc motor bike. It takes some getting used to but eventually it becomes “normal”.

By: ziggy

ziggy — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:54:41 +0000

I live in Saigon. Here’s a better video of the traffic. It’s a couple years old; it’s worse now.

youtube video

Bunch of good ones on youtube.

Have to run, New Year’s tonight…