Stay Safe & Healthy in Hanoi
It is quite a challenge to walk through the streets of Hanoi unless you are strong-willed. Like in other regions of Vietnam, there are numerous motorbikes racing through the streets of Hanoi as if they had been set loose to catch something far ahead of them every second.
For visitors especially in the narrow streets of the Old Quarter, walking is not easy.
In Vietnam, one way traffic does not exist. As you step off the pavement, don’t just look left and right, but also front and back. Even top to bottom would be fine. Step by step move cautiously and with determination; let motorcycles go past slowly. Don’t rush. Don’t do anything strange. Thus drivers become aware about your presence and also can anticipate your vector (and all other bikes). It may seem chaotic; however if you cross any street, big or small with patience and vigilance it will be alright.
You have heard a hundred times that pickpockets abound in Hanoi’s Old Quarter as well as at Dong Xuan Night Market but nowhere else on Asian soil where this statement truest applies though it may sound harshly realistic in view of its specific context provided here in this essay . Population density coupled with many visitors brings distractions from busy roads while confined areas make things easier for thieves. This environment has resulted from a common belief that tourists have huge amounts of money which encourages criminal activity.People who steal always thrive when they think that money is abundant among travelers.A woman can put her hand into any pocket or bag without being caught.
