First Cultural Lesson: Human Frogger... aka, crossing the street

The first thing we learned (literally, after dropping our bags off at the hotel) was how to cross the street.

Now, to many this might seem mundane or superfluous... not so in Hanoi. This video demonstrates the high courage it takes to cross the constant flow of motorbikes, cars, and buses. The traffic NEVER stops; it only slows.


Here are the basic rules...
0. Pray.
1. Don't panic and run! Walk slow and steady.
2. Don't walk in front of buses or cars, because the usually cannot swerve to miss you.
3. Don't wait for traffic to slow... you will wait ALL day!
4. Pray harder.
5. Optional is waiting for a very nice Vietnamese person to 'walk' you across... although many will wonder why you are just standing there waiting and not jumping into traffic.

Traffic is actually quite amazing... it reflects a lot of the differences between America and Asia.