INDAY CLARA TRAVELS SOLO #5: RIDING THROUGH THE CRAZY STREETS OF VIETNAM

We all heard that Vietnam is the Capital city of Motorbikes. They said that driving through the streets here need a little bit of getting used to. My Australian friend who just brought a brand new motorbike there even said "If you can ride a bike here, you can ride a bike anywhere". That had me cracking!

So during my first day in Hanoi, I took a motorbike tour for the following reasons:

1. I don't know how to drive by myself which is a bummer.
2. Due to the persistent commendation of the receptionist at the hostel I was staying.
3. I wouldn't want to miss the experience.

It costs 20 USD wherein the food and entrance fees to the places we visited were already included. Although you could visit the places just by walking which I did the next day.

But first let's talk about the streets in Hanoi. Here are the things there that pretty much amazed me!

1. VIETNAM CYCLO
   This is a 3-wheel bicycle taxi in Vietnam. This vehicle is good for one person only but two can still fit though they will surely be squeezed. I don't know how much the fare for this is because I didn't bother to ride one.
   

2. BUILDINGS
   The buildings are about 4 - 6 storey tall and built side by side. But notice the width of the structure especially the one beside the wrap & roll building. I know, right? They surely maximized the space for that one.
   

3. BEAUTIFUL PARK
   The parks are just soothing to the eyes. Colorful, blooming flowers are just everywhere. Now, who wouldn't want to go out for a walk or jog with a place like this? You could even bring your pet dog for a walk.
   
   
   

4. WIDE SIDEWALKS
   The sidewalks on the main streets are quite wide. They probably made it this way to give space for motorbike parking and space to cater the tables and chairs for food stalls.
   
   

Now, I’m going to focus more on the riding experience itself. So how did it go?

All I could say is IT WAS CRAZY!

Here are the reasons why it drove me nuts:

1. There were no traffic lights on the smaller streets. You would see that these motorbikes were just about going in every direction!

2. The horns of their motorbikes are just too loud than normal. Imagine when you are stuck in traffic and all are just blowing their horns all together.
   
   

3. You know that feeling that you were in a near miss accident; that feeling that your motorbike was just about to collide with another motorbike but you didn’t? And what’s funny was my driver told me that those kinds of manoeuvres wherein they almost hit each other and just a split second they were able to change directions were just NORMAL! And I was like “What in the world?!”

4. And oh boy! Traffic? This is what it looks like. You are just literally an inch from other vehicles.
   

My advice when crossing the streets?

1. Don’t doubt when crossing; be sure and be confident. These motorbikes won’t slow down for you, well most of them to say the least.
2. Don’t be scared. They are so good in turning or swinging their bikes in a different direction or angle. They will surely miss you in just an inch. You will survive as I surely did.

Overall, I did enjoy the experience! It was a first for me. It was a different environment and different culture. What’s crazy for us there is just normal for them. It was a memorable one indeed.

Thanks for taking the time to read! Stay tune guys! Have a great day!

Always remember...