This is worth its' own entry…. it may be one of the great phenomena’s that I have ever seen and I’ve taken 2 videos just to preserve this memory. Given that there are rarely any traffic lights to stop traffic to cross, people just start walking, regardless how many motor bikes or cars or buses may be coming at them. It is necessary to bring a 2nd pair of underpants with you when making this crossing… to change into when you ultimately make it across.

As I just said, to cross essentially what is 6 lanes of highway to get to the other side, with perhaps 15-20 headlights coming right at you, the procedure is to just start walking and the motor bikes and cars will either go in front or behind you . …hopefully.  Remember, for the most part traffic is going at 30-35 MPH and once you’ve committed to going, you are just out there on your own…and you just hope you don’t freeze.

The 2nd video is me crossing only 3 lanes to the middle land strip by following the lead of a native Hanoi resident. The 1st and longer video is me attempting to cross back along 3 of the 6 lanes. It is 2 1/2 minutes long because I was on my own with no guidance from being able to follow someone else's lead. AND I only made it across 3 of the lanes to get to the middle island... I just didn’t have the balls to 'pull the trigger’ and get started across the street by myself. Eventually I did so, froze a few times but did make it across to write this entry.

I have to imagine that there are elderly grandma’s who at some point in their life never get to ‘visit’ the other side of the road… amazing.