You take a deep breath and grit your teeth. A shadow falls across your face; one of determination, a need to succeed. Now’s your time. Show no fear, no hesitation. And whatever you do, don’t stop. After all, pho, banh mi and ice-cold beer is calling. The only thing between you and delicious food, bustling markets and a super-sweet Vietnamese iced coffee is about six lanes of traffic, darting around willy nilly, like several schools of fish converging on one solitary piece of fish food. You.

HOW TO CROSS THE ROAD IN VIETNAM IN 8 EASY STEPS:

1. First up, survey your surroundings. Remember that traffic in Vietnam drives on the right-hand side of the road (this is particularly important for our Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom friends).
2. Spend a moment or two gauging what the traffic is doing; if you’re at a roundabout – a particularly tricky place for pedestrians – see who has right of way and which way the traffic is going (it’s not uncommon for cars, trucks and bikes to go the WRONG way around). There’s method to the madness on the roads here; it does start to make sense after a while.
3. When you can see that the road is relatively bike/car/scooter-free, step out. Don’t be alarmed if the bikes/cars/scooters driving towards you don’t appear to be slowing down; like sands through the hourglass, they’ll move around you (though they may also honk wildly at you too).
4. Keep walking – with conviction – slowing down if necessary as the traffic flows around you.
5. NOT STOP, DO NOT RUN, DO NOT STEP BACKWARDS! Any sudden movements will only mess with the ‘system’.
6. Keep your head up, eyes open, and wits about you.
7. Go slow, speed up, slow down.
8. Step confidently onto the footpath and continue on your merry way.

See? In just a few short moments, you’ll find yourself on the other side. And with that, the promise of food, self-satisfaction and a slightly faster heart rate. So get yourself a bia hoi – you’ve earned it.

Written by EMILY KRATZMANN ~ Intrepidtravel

How to cross the road in Vietnam
Nguyen Thanh Van