Hanoi is the capital and the largest city of Vietnam. It has also recently been voted one of the safest cities in the world. However, not everything is pleasant in Hanoi. When referring to this city, both visitors and natives complain about a problem, the traffic.
Traffic in Hanoi is extremely chaotic nowadays. Driving on the highway in Hanoi is described as going out to battle. Food blogger Noodlepie mentioned that he “stopped riding a motorcycle in Vietnam about three or four years ago” because it gave him “zero pleasure and a lot of stress.” You always run the risk of running into a traffic jam, regardless of whether it is rush hour or not. This fact can be explained by 2 main reasons, transport and compliance with traffic regulations.
The first reason leading to the problem is the increasing number of private transports. The estimated population of Hanoi is 6,232,940 (2008), it is the most populous city in Vietnam. In addition, Hanoi is also the most important political, cultural and economic center in Vietnam, thus attracting a large number of employees from other provinces. Consequently, the number of private transports has also grown dramatically. People think that Vietnamese are poor, but there are an incredible number of cars in Hanoi. Each family can own 3-4 bikes and maybe one more car, that is very common in Hanoi now. This large volume of private transport, coupled with other public transport such as mopeds, taxis and buses, has caused frequent congestion on Hanoi’s roads.
Also, although Vietnamese traffic rules are quite strict, many people still do not comply seriously with them. It is very common to cross red lights or drive the wrong way on streets against traffic. There are lane markings, including crosswalks, but they are completely ignored. These infractions are very dangerous and can easily lead to accidents. Congestion is even worse at rush hour, when everyone is in a rush to get to work or get home quickly. People are impatient, constantly using their horns when there is obviously nowhere to go, even yelling at others to get out of the way. As a result, the roads are often congested for 1-2 hours. This image describes exactly what happens on the roads of Hanoi.
Next year, Hanoi will celebrate the 1000th anniversary. Authorities must implement their rules to solve the traffic problem, so when tourists visit Hanoi, they will memorize Hanoi with beautiful pictures.
