Hanoi First Impressions

Goodbye English.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Vietnamese language is really hard.  I am struggling just to say thank you.  There are six tones, and no matter what I cannot get it right.  Thank you is Cam on.  It sounds like Gauhm Uhhn, but there is a M or N sound and a little G at the end–and in flat tone.  If you say it in the wrong tone, you are saying “Shut up.”  Wow —and that is just one word.  Luckily, Hello is a little easier,  Xin Chao (or Sin Chow) which I can manage.  All the signs are in Vietnamese.  We do not know how to order or what to order.  Addie pleads with us to tell them “not spicy” or “no mayonnaise” and we shrug, there is no way.  We are using a lot of hand gestures and depend on the kindness of strangers to help us when we look confused.

Scooters. Motorbikes. Buses.  Oh, My.

There are over 7 million people in Hanoi and over 4 million motorbikes.

Swarms.  Like bees, their high pitch sound is a constant.  Horns.  And they do not go one direction, it is every direction.  Often there are whole families on one bike, babies, toddlers standing between parents.  The scooters mix with cars, buses, bicycles.  There is huge cargo packed on the scooters–a Gas tank, crates of Coke, Garden equipment, animals…  When helmets are worn (most riders do not), they are thin, almost decorative, with a cute hole cut out at the base of the skull (where the cerebellum resides) for a ponytail.  It leaves my mouth agape with incredulity.  I am both shocked at the risk taking and have admiration for everyone’s deft navigation.  There is a mandatory helmet law, but it appears not enforced or followed.  I have not seen an accident yet.  There are more motorbikes than households in Hanoi.  It is our goal to not get hit while walking.  We repeat the mantra as we walk cross the street, slow and focused, as running or darting across the street does not allow for the scooters and cars to slow and avoid you.  We hold hands and go for it–steady and determined.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz5uxAsrbwI

— I have to say the above video is a good representation, but actually multiply the density of bikes and cars by five, narrow  the streets for the old quarter and add some buses.  Then you have it. (Just Google Hanoi traffic old quarter to get an idea of our daily challenge of not getting hit)

Vietnamese roads are ranked among the world’s worst for motorcyclists.

Traffic accidents remain the biggest single cause of fatalities in Vietnam even as the country has been working to make local roads safer.

According to the World Health Organization, on average, road traffic accidents kill approximately 14,000 people in Vietnam every year and are the leading cause of death among those aged between 15 and 29 years.

The country recognizes the problem of pollution and safety from the traffic congestion and is working on plans to increase use of public transport, create MRT subway lines and even ban motorbikes from downtown by 2025.  But change is slow and budgets get cut, so as of now, Motorbikes rule the road.  They even ride on the sidewalks.  When we leave our apartment, we are tense and are alert.  It is exhausting.  Vietnam has been the most challenging country I have ever been to.

(Cars only make it worse, and as people make more money they all want cars.)