What double-white lines?

The adventure began after we passed through no man’s land, paid our $1 border entry fee (a.k.a. bribe), and headed down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We were now in Vietnam, a mysterious and unexplored place to me. The bus wound down the lush green mountain road. All was normal until we hit flat land…

In one turn of a switch the ever present beep-beep of the car, truck, and motorbike horns began. It was used as the constant reminder to their fellow drivers that I am passing you from behind or driving head on to you in your lane of traffic. I quickly realized traffic laws were non-existent.

Motorbikes whizzed by the bus, weaving in and out of cars and fellow moto riders. Buses and cars would pass the motorbikes, other cars, buses and trucks even with oncoming cars within 3 cars lengths, never minding the double-white lines. As a driver I thought these lines universally meant “do not pass”. Obviously, I was wrong… it means pass whenever you feel into oncoming traffic, with a bus-load of passengers.

The bus ride adventure lasted 13 hours as we drove to Hanoi. Eventually I had to succumb to the craziness of the ride—I had a false sense of security, I thought I was safe and invincible from all other cars. (this is the same feeling I had when I started to think New York cab rides were “safe”.) I was briefly jostled from this “safe haven” when our driver took a wrong detour in a construction zone, and literally was driving down the wrong side of the road. He realized 30 seconds in and then proceeded to stop, put the bus in reverse, and navigate backwards to the other side of the road. All I could do is cover my eyes and look out the side window.

We finally made it safely to Hanoi. I quickly realized though, my overland bus trip was only the beginning…