Cycling The Road Less Travelled

Cycling in Vietnam is not for the faint of heart. It’s chaotic, busy and loud. It is pure mayhem. If you’re going to brave these streets on a bicycle you need to forget everything you know and understand some basic guidelines.

Honking: The horn, (not the brakes and not the signals) is the most important safety feature of any vehicle in Vietnam. As such, all horns have been modified to be louder and much more annoying. The blare of horns, on any street, is constant, relentless, and unbelievably loud. It will make your ears bleed. You will to need to understand the different honks. There is the:

• “I’m coming” honk, used when the vehicle first sees you.
• This is soon followed by the: “I’m closer” honk.
• The “Even closer” honk follows shortly after that.
• The “I’m here” honk (the longest and most ear-shattering of them all) just as they come up to you.
• And finally, the “Goodbye” honk, just to be friendly. This is often accompanied by a wave or a thumbs-up.

White Lines: Those pesky white lines on the road are distracting, useless and therefore meant to be ignored. At some point, you will find yourself cycling down a road thinking you are on the correct side of the street when you spot a truck trying to pass, coming straight at you. Understand that you are about to engage in a friendly and exciting game of “chicken”. See “Right of way” and act accordingly.

Passing on a Corner: Trucks passing each other on tight blind corners is perfectly acceptable. See “Right of Way”

Right of Way: The biggest vehicle on the road always has the right of way, regardless of the situation. Since you’re a cyclist, that never ever means you.

Blind Spot: Why turn your head when you can leave it up to the person you are about to cut off to avoid the accident.

Busy Intersections: Busy intersections don’t necessarily imply traffic lights or signs. Just get on in there and figure it out for yourself.

Chickens: Chickens are incredibly stupid creatures and will dart out in front of you at the very last second. This is of course, is true in any part of the world.