It's Perilous to be a Pedestrian in Hanoi

If I asked you what you thought the #1 competitive sport in Hanoi is, what would you say?

Badminton?






Noooooooo

That wacky game footbag game with the hackysack with the feather?







Nooooooo


It's - ya ready? Division 1 street crossing. And no, I'm not kidding.

There are currenlty 4 million people in Hanoi and 2 million motorbikes. Now while I can show you some pictures of what that looks like and you can probably assume what it sounds like (if I also told you that liberal use of the horn is highly encouraged and even enjoyed), I could never explain the fear that grips you as you run across a 6 lane street for the first time amidst all those bikers. After my first couple of sprints, a woman pulled me aside and explained that I shouldn't run across the street; rather I should walk slowly and not make eye contact with the motorbikers. Sure enough, when I looked around, all of the locals were blithely strolling their ways from one corner to the next.

So I tried it. I looked straight ahead and stepped off my first curb into the cacophanous traffic. I mustered every ounce of zenlike courage I could and miraculously, the seas parted. The motorbikes streamed their ways around me and I arrived at my destination without harm.

It seems the Vietname respect the deliberate.