Good Morning Vietnam!

 

Hanoi is a city of 10 million people.  Two thirds of the country's population was born after the end of the war with the US and half are under 35.  The population has sky rocketed from about 20 million in 1950 to about 100 million today.  Due to population density, the preferred method of transportation in Hanoi and across the country is the motor scooter.  In Hanoi, they are literally everywhere. 

Driving is not something for the faint of heart.  According to our guide, the operating word for driving is to weave,  Traffic signals are ignored by roughly 10% of the driver, scooters will sometimes use oncoming lanes (or sidewalks), cross walks are "decorations" and not observed.  For the most part, nobody stops, they just keep moving slowly and weave about.  I took a video this morning of part of our drive.  I'll add it later to give you a sense of the traffic flow.

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