Crossing the Road Vietnamese Style

---

Ok so another overnight bus journey and this one was hell. No two ways about it. Same set up as before, except the driver couldn't do what he was employed to do - drive. His foot was on and off the go pedal and he threw the bus around at every available opportunity. I didn't let go of the little hand rails on either side of the bed/seat and my Ipod played out all night long, in a frustrating bid to try and will me to sleep. As the guy in front of me put it 'it wasn't a case of not being able to sleep, it was a case of staying in the bed'. We were kicked off the bus at 6.00am bruised and with the world still moving but in thankfully in one piece!

So welcome to Nha Trang. By midday we recovered sufficiently enough to wander out for some food. I opted for special noodles and David a rice dish. When the meal turned up I quickly realised why it was called special noodles, because there looking back at me was a cuttlefish and all his little sea friends!!! Thank goodness David likes seafood as a very sharp swap of dishes took place! Ooohhh it still gives me the collywobbles now!!!

We walked some distance along the bay after our lunch stop and then opted to strip and head into the South China Sea. Well what a pleasant surprise it was so warm it was like getting in a bath. There was no refusal at the first wave - just the pair of us going straight in! The waves were quite large which meant swimming was quite difficult but made it all the more funny. On the way back to our hotel the heavens opened and we got absolutely soaked, infact we would have been drier if we had stopped in the sea. We gave up walking in flip flops and walked bare foot through the warm puddles on the road. Thankfully our hotel owner saw us arrive and let us have extra towels to dry out with.

We have visted the market here, the pagoda and the Cham Towers. We took a trip today to Cam Rahn Bay which unfortunatley didn't work out for us and we couldn't get down to the bay. Still the road trip was nice! The Pagoda has a huge white buddha that overlooks Nha Trang and well that's about that!

Now here's your lesson on how to cross the road vietnamese style

1. First forget everything you have ever learnt about crossing the road
2. Wait for a suitable gap in the never ending flow of scooters, pushbikes, buses, coaches, lorries and cars (and the occasional chicken!) and step out into the road
3. Walk very slowly across the road, keeping an eye out for all moving objects heading in your direction.
4. Make no sharp or sudden moves - you will be hit
5. Proceed calmly, slowly and displaying an air of confidence until you get to the other side.
6. Once on the pavement, breathe a sigh of relief that you made it

And that is how it works! All very daunting and scary but it does work! I've been told that if I think this is bad, wait until I get to Saigon, I'm putting off the thought - trust me!!

So we are here for another day before heading into the cool (hopefully!) hills of Dalat.

---

Comments

[Duong Thanh Tung]

Crossing the road in Vietnam
Hi there. Welcome to Vietnam :) I read your entry - all lessons are correct but I think that there're some more tips for you. - If you step slowly, the moving object will not give you necessary space. Then, keep walking naturally. - Making signs to moving people to get their attention by waving your hand or arm (right side for 1st half of the road and left side for the 2nd half). Smiling also help. - Yes, no sharp or suddend move allowed but if there's no object heading your direction fast and you have spce, you can move quickly - run if you can. Practice crossing the road few times, you'll get more confidence and thing will be as easy as "One two three" Wish you all the best staying in Vietnam. Enjoy!