The streets in Hanoi

Arriving in Hanoi, I was quite shocked at the way that the Vietnamese roads work. Most people drive motobikes or ride bicycles. Cars are for people with money, so not too many people own them. There aren't many traffic lights so everyone just goes where they want when they want. It's pretty insane at intersections, but somehow, no one that I witnessed got into an accident. Pedestrians must just go for it, if they want to cross the street (as you can see in the video of us trying to do so at night.) The key is that you go slowly so the drivers have the time to see you and go around. If you run, you'll be hit. Honking in this country isn't considered rude, it's more like "hello, I'm here, just so you know." Anyone who owns a motorbike will give you a ride, even if it's not their "job". Being foreigners we were asked at least once a minute "where we wanted to go."

Since this is their main form of transportation, they carry just about anything on their motorbikes and bicycles.
Some of the things I saw people carrying on them:

- an airconditioning unit
- a computer
- 3 large dead pigs
- families of 4 are common to cram onto one motorbike
- a ladder (which was laying horizontally, so you can imagine it made it difficult for the drivers around him)
- an adult sized casket
- 3 other bicycles