How to cross the street in Việt Nam (and ride on a motorbike)

Your first look at a busy junction in Hà Nội or Sài Gòn will make you laugh, then panic. Motorbikes pour in from every direction and nobody seems to stop. Here is the secret: you don’t wait for a gap. You walk, slowly, and the traffic flows around you like water round a stone.

How to cross

1. Look both ways, then both ways again. Traffic drives on the right, but bikes often ride against the flow along the edge of the road.
2. Step out at a slow, steady walk. Riders read your speed and steer around where you will be, not where you are.
3. Don’t run, don’t stop suddenly, don’t step back. The rider has already planned to pass behind you. Sudden moves are what catch people out.
4. Make eye contact and raise a hand, palm towards the traffic. It says “I’m here, I’m crossing” in any language.
5. Keep going at the same pace until you reach the other side.

Bikes flow, cars don’t

Motorbikes will weave around you. Cars, buses and lorries are bigger, slower to turn and much less likely to give way. Let them pass, then go.

Use traffic lights and zebra crossings where you find them, but a green man doesn’t mean every bike will stop. Look anyway.

Cross with locals

The easiest trick of all: wait for someone local who is crossing, and walk beside them, on the side away from the oncoming traffic. Match their pace. You will be on the other side before you have time to worry.

What the horns mean

A horn in Việt Nam usually means “I’m here” or “I’m coming past”. It is not anger. Riders beep at corners, when they overtake, and sometimes just in case. Don’t take it personally, and don’t jump.

Walking the pavement

Pavements are for parking motorbikes, for street stalls and for low plastic stools, and only then for walking. You will often end up on the edge of the road. Walk facing the traffic where you can, and keep your phone and bag on the side away from the road. If you are heading for Hà Nội’s Old Quarter, you will get plenty of practice.

Riding pillion

Sooner or later you will ride on the back of a motorbike: a xe ôm (motorbike taxi, literally a “hug vehicle”), a ride booked on an app, or a friend’s bike. The big ride-hailing apps all offer motorbike rides, with the price shown before you book. With a street xe ôm, agree on the price first.

• Wear a helmet and do up the strap. It is the law, and app drivers usually bring one for you.
• Get on and off from the left. The exhaust pipe is usually on the right, and it gets very hot. Keep your legs away from it: a burn on the calf is a souvenir nobody wants.
• Hold on, to the driver’s waist or to the grab rail behind you.
• Lean with the driver on bends, not against them. Sit still and keep your feet on the footrests.
• Keep your phone in your pocket. A phone held out on the street side is easy to snatch. Wear your bag in front of you.
• Wear closed shoes if you can. Flip-flops and hot metal don’t mix.

Ride with us

On our Back-of-the-Bike Food Night in Sài Gòn you ride pillion with a local driver through District 4 and District 5, with six food stops along the way. A licensed driver and a helmet are included, and so is insurance. If you are ready for the stools at the other end, see our Sài Gòn street food guide.