Motorbike Culture

Fazila and I are big fans of the British TV car show "Top Gear" and a while ago they filmed an episode in Viet Nam, so we had some idea what to look for along the roads. The show's hosts were challenged to ride motorbikes on the varied and twisting roads from south to north, along the coast, through the cities and over the mountains, and as with all their challenges, havoc (and fun) ensues. As we've traveled, we've seen things that remind us of that show but I don't think that prepared us for what we would experience (even from inside a bus).

On the roads, there seems to be general rules that they are following and yet there is also a sense of every man for himself out there. Everyone has somewhere to go and they are going to get there! Getting out of the way is up to you!
What's fun to watch for are the goods being transported on the backs of the bikes. We've seen entire families (2 parents, 2 kids), computer monitors (five at a time), cartons of eggs, crates of beer, panes of glass, lumber, chickens and even small pigs. It's odd and fun for us, but hey, it works for them.

Hen gap lai!

Maureen

Where the water buffalo roam

The agricultural state of being is evident along the roadways. Rice paddies are "curbside;" cows, chickens, goats and water buffalo have the right of way.

Viet Nam's population puts it in the top 20 world-wide but its population density is higher because of its small area/size. The country is about 65% mountains and jungles, with that 35% holding the large urban population (over 9 million at last count). There's elbow room to be had, just don't try to pass a herd of water buffalo on the road.