Really wish I could get some pictures of Vietnamese traffic madness up here to go with this.... To follow, once I get on a PC made after 1990. Meanwhile, snapshot of the country's highways and byways:
1. The Horn. Do not reserve use of the horn for emergencies. Generous sounding of the horn is your way of letting other road users know that your car is bigger, you drive faster and your right to drive straddling several lanes unquestioned. If driving a motorbike, don't be anxious thinking that beeping constantly is going to alarm other road users; no one will pay any attention. However, if you are at the wheel of an industrial truck carrying several tons of sand, anyone in the way of your path is going to get flattened, so they had better take notice.
2. The Horn II. Despite the above, hearing another vehicle's horn sound is not an imperative to get out of the way. Even if you are merely a child on a bicycle, a single placid glance behind you to register the presence of that truck full of sand is sufficient. He is not going to crash into you. He may pass perilously close; he may undertake using the hard shoulder; if he's really in a hurry, he'll just go into the flow of oncoming traffic. Let him do as he may. Carry on talking to your friend who is sat on the rear mudguard.
3. The Horn III. What with all those horns sounding, a plain old beep is just not going to cut it. You need to modify yours to sound a couple of different notes in turn, maybe adding an echo effect- you wouldn't want the constant sounding of your horn to become grating or tedious!
4. Junctions. Simple. Slow down - swerve - weave - but don't stop. Ever.
5. Road rage. Whether it's the child who nearly went under your wheels, the live pig who nearly squirmed off that motorbike, or the elderly woman, heavy trays hanging from her shoulders as she made her stately progress across the road.... no point in getting angry. Buddhist serenity is the only attitude to take - could get dangerous otherwise...
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