Last year when I returned from Thailand, I immediately missed the cool hearts. That is, the laissez-faire attitude of the Thais. Sure, bad things happen in life, but so it goes. It’s not exactly excusing it, but to go with the flow and let irritation/anger go.

But there’s something interesting about traffic. In Bangkok, I observed our taxi drivers getting irritated at the heavy traffic, but somehow they would always find a way to get from point A to point B by squeezing through cars. Honking? Less of an issue.

In Vietnam at least in Saigon, there are barely any traffic lights. Like most Westerners, I was frightened crossing the street. Motorbikes kept going…with no stop in the traffic.

The picture above was taken from a taxi, but when I was surrounded by amounts of traffic in every direction…of course I was too panicked too pull out my camera. After reading guides online, I learned that Vietnamese drivers are polite. So I would take a deep breath and nearly walked across the street blind. It was if I had to trust everyone and slowly believe…really believe that nobody would hit me.

What I thought was amazing…was like Thailand, the Vietnamese were not angry. Yes in Saigon, I heard significantly lot more honking. If there was a car and motorbike in the way, honking would ensue. Although I was on vacation, it wasn’t the same as American honking.

Biking in San Francisco has always been nerve-wracking for me. Especially on streets lacking bike lanes. I would bike up those streets where I have the right to take the lane, but cars could not stand it…and even if they got a chance to pass me, I would easily catch up to them at the next stop sign. If blocked someone’s right turn, it was angry honking. Get out of my way! the driver would scream. As if the 10 seconds they would save…would really get them somewhere. Everyone here in the states is treated as someone to blame. Independent, because we can’t trust anyone.

I biked a bit in Vietnam…and I did get honked at. Sure, it was mostly friendly honking, but the honking was curiosity…or a Sorry Miss, I am coming your way. I am just letting you know that. In Asia, perhaps, it’s inward-looking. We are all one…we act as one…and to cross the street, to ride on the street, we are all responsible for ourselves because we trust others.