Hair Raising Motorbiking in Hanoi

The daily drive into downtown Hanoi is an experience beyond belief.At the crack of dawn the chickens start bellowing, walkers are going through their paces, and the motorbiker's are lining up in the starting gate. Once the flag is dropped all hell breaks loose(usually about 6am).Since there are no dotted lines anywhere in Vietnam the crossing from one side of the road to the other is a given.In order to get anywhere in Hanoi there is a constant jockying for position. You've got the Mach 3 teenager who has no fear and drives with one hand or no hands on the handlebars. The business man who's only purpose is getting to work without damaging his pleated pants. And the average Joe moving along with the flow.If someone goes down there usually will be a pile-up of 3-4 bikes tangled in a heap. Road rash and broken bones are common. There is one saving grace, come September 20th everyone will have to wear a helmet.I've been biking in Hanoi for two years and have had many close calls but no fatalities yet.So if you want to get your blood flowing in the morning come on over to Hanoi and step up to the starting gate.