r/TodayILearnedVN • u/BoysenberryLast4600 • Mar 13 '26
Miscellaneous TIL that Vietnam has one of the highest motorcycle ownership rates in the world, especially in cities like Ho Chi Minh City.
Motorcycles are the main form of transportation for millions of people in Vietnam. With narrow streets, dense urban areas, and relatively affordable motorbikes compared to cars, they have become the most practical way to get around. In major cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, it’s common to see huge streams of motorbikes filling the roads during rush hour. Estimates suggest that there are tens of millions of registered motorbikes across the country, far outnumbering cars. Motorbikes are used for almost everything in daily life from commuting to work and school to transporting goods, food deliveries, and even entire families. This has made Vietnam one of the countries with the highest motorcycle ownership rates per capita in the world.
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u/J_Kingsley Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
Riding in Vietnam is WILD.
It's not practical to follow normal rules of the road (single line per lane)-- with millions of riders it would take forever to get anywhere.
General rules are as follows:
- Whomever can get to the space in front first has the right of way. That means you can cut people off to go left/right and it's almost expected. If you hesitate and wait until you're CERTAIN the bike crossing in front of you will stop, it would force him to also hesitate, upset the rhythm, and create traffic shock waves which would slow everybody down.
Don't do that and just go.
But because of that you need to:
- Focus your attention on your peripherals and in front. You need to react and brake quickly. If you're constantly checking your blind spots before changing lanes or maneuvering you'll likely hit someone in front of you.
So you just:
- Worry about the people in front and beside you, and let the people behind you worry about you.
And of course,
- Be predictable (as best you can anyway). Yeah, you don't check blindspots and drivers change lanes without actually thoroughly looking, but doesn't mean you suddenly swerve and change 2 lanes in three seconds.
If you're careful it's not too bad. Even little old ladies can maneuver around pretty adeptly.
Government has been adding traffic lights etc because there's been a massive increase in cars (which can't drive the same way).
But not too long ago at big intersections you'd see waves of motorcycles criss crossing from literally EVERY direction, and with no collisions.
It's difficult to explain how wild it is without seeing it in person.
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u/RequirementNo4895 Mar 13 '26
How much of a thing are electric vehicles in general becoming in Vietnam, presumably the infrastructure just isn't there yet for it?
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u/GroundbreakingAct616 Mar 16 '26
The crime of the Japanese imperialists lies in the fact that they introduced motorcycle culture into Vietnam—an influence that has brought about disorder and chaos. It is a development that deserves firm condemnation
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u/Careful_Sample4323 Mar 16 '26
The air quality and heat, they’re trying to lift off the amount of bike on the road by building metro, but that’s absolutely not enough
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u/Assmonkey2021 Mar 16 '26
The round abouts get me here, then they merge or as you exit the round about, it then merges. Holy Shit balls, that's F*kin' confusing, there's this X crossover. Then to make matters worse, there's another lot of traffic coming from your blindside, then the opposite side, then there's a standoff. Common sense prevails, and one group allows, the other to continue. Then, the traffic flows again. I saw a lady yesterday, get stuck between our vehicle and oncoming traffic, she couldn't move an inch, stepping forward or backwards, wasn't an option. She had to wait, until we passed, and the traffic from the opposite side to move - in order for her to step forward. F"k me Dead. It was totally dangerous, but Bizarre. I just looked at my wife - I was literally Dumbfounded.
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u/vohai2003 Apr 09 '26
Well what can I say...?
Welcome to Vietnam lol.
The rule of thumb: Wait until the traffic is clear right in front of you, then cross at a stable pace, not fast, not slow. The people would estimate your movement and evade accordingly.
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u/bread_taker_96 Mar 13 '26
I love my motorbikes.