Traffic in Hanoi
 

I’m going to Hanoi this September. I’ve heard a lot of scary things about Hanoi’s traffic. Is it real? Do you have any advice? Anything will do. Thank you very much.

I could summarize there are five rules when crossing the streets in Hanoi.
Rule 1 – avoid the rush hours
Rule 2 – don’t forget to wave your hand when crossing the street.
Rule 3 – don’t wear dark clothes if you’re about to cross the street at night.
Rule 4 – don’t drink too much if you know you’ll have to cross the street
Rule5 – it’s advisable that you don’t cross the street alone

@Issabella: Not just for fun !

Unfortunately yes, it’s really very scary. It’s ok if you have a local tour guide but if you don’t, God bless you. Scooters are everywhere and run at light speed. There’s no way you can pass the road alone. I have experienced 4 nights in Hanoi. Traffic there is terrible than anything I could imagine. I didn’t know what to do without my tour guide. Thank to him.
@MingYen: Great experience, thanks for share!

I can say it can say it could be very dangerous if you’re not aware of what you’re doing. Hanoi is fun but I got crashed by a motorbike when I crossed the street there at night. The motorist said he could not see me because it was too dark and I did not wave my hand! I was wearing a dark navy blue T-shirt and he possibly didn’t see me because of that.

Thanks everybody for your comments.
Special thanks for MingYen, Magus. With 5 rules and 10 tips to survive in hanoi traffic.
The funniest thing to do in Hanoi is walking around the Old Quarter. I'll get used to it.

Good luck, that’s all I can give you now, and you really need it. Well, Hanoi is an interesting city, that can’t be denied. Everything there is wonderful but traffic. Be careful is not enough. You need everyone else to be careful too, and it’s not gonna happen.

Here is a link to my blog entry on how to survive The traffic in Hanoi:

http://accidentalnomads.com/2015/01/...urvival-guide/

Crossing the street really is an art form there. We witnessed three accidents within our first 48 hours in Hanoi all were between motorbikes and cars, thankfully no pedestrians. We survived a couple of months in Vietnam with only one incident where I got knocked off my bike in Hue which, bizarrely seemed to have less traffic than any other city!

Cambodia was even worse. My wife got hit by a car whilst crossing the road in Battambang and only narrowly missed going under the wheels!

Good luck! It's a great city I am sure you will get used to the traffic and love it.

Yep, it's unreal. Our strategy was to duck in behind a group. We figured the swarm of scooters might be less likely to hit a large group than 1 or 2 people.

I'm with hobbert- I would try and find a local who looked confident and go right next to them!

In Vietnam and Cambodia, the main trick is to keep moving at a steady pace. The other vehicles will attempt to estimate where they can safely avoid you, so the worst thing do do is freeze or bolt. BEst way to get the hang of it is to stand next to a local person and if you are really terrified, grab onto their arm!

We found the best way was to stand with the locals. When they move go. Don't run, proceed forward at a steady pace, don't stop. The scooters will go around you if they can judge your pace. Increasing or slowing your pace can result in disaster.

Keep moving at a stead/slow space. Don't dart quickly. You will get used to it and the bike riders will go around you.

I endorse the comments to keep moving at a steady pace. Re the comment on Cambodia being worse. I've found that mottos and tuk tuks will go around you while big 4 wheel drives don't! Therefore give them a wide berth.