Vietnamese Vs. Thai Motorbike Drivers

[youbuyshirt]

I used to live in Thailand, now live in VN, and VN's difficult traffic conditions make me nostalgic for Thailand. So I want to know if I'm just remembering the past through rose colored glasses and some of the difficulties are the same in Thailand.

So could someone please answer these questions for me:

The Vietnamese routinely talk on their phones while driving their motorbikes with one hand. Worse, they also apparently read text messages and reply to them while driving their motorbikes with one hand in incredibly dense traffic, even while turning into a busy intersection.

They often drive their motorbikes casually with one hand even when they're NOT holding their phone. They just rest one hand on their lap. And they drive two abreast and have conversations with the other motorbike while they are driving.

These are behaviors that tend to make life very hazardous for pedestrians and other drivers.

I don't remember Thai motorcyclists doing this sort of thing. Is my memory correct? Are the Thais less reckless?

About 30% of VN motorcyclists routinely pass traffic lights after they've turned red. I remember the Thais used to do this too. Still true?

In VN probably 80-90% of road traffic is motorbikes. What % is it in thailand?

Thanks for your help.

[BigSkip]

Take off the shades brother, been driving here for the past 7 years, the last 3 full time, no change from VN that I can see, everything you mentioned I have witnesses first hand. I can't give % on vehicles but I have had 2 accidents in the past year, both not my fault, first: no lic, underage, no helmet kid (15yrs old) hit my right side of the front end after he passed the car behind me, he hit me. Luckily I had a Thai friend who could speak English and I pushed getting the police because they wanted money....LOL..end of story I had to pay to get it fixed...Second time 2 mos. ago same crap, no lic. , no helmet, underage. He was coming around the corner turning on my street and slammed into me, hitting my back bumper and tailgate dead center. The police charged me 50 % and him 50 % FAULT, so MY INSURANCE WOULD COVER BOTH HIM, HIS GIRL, HIS MOTORBIKE. GO FIGURE! My insurance agent (who showed up at the scene before the car & bike was moved) said: " I can't fight the police in this situation or it will go bad on me". What's a Fa-long to do....

[ScubaBuddha]

Exactly the same, all. But with a bit more cars than there used to be, especially here in Phuket. Maybe phones weren't as popular when you lived in Thailand? How long ago was it?

[Fishenough]

Drove the less than one kilometer to work recently and counted 4 people texting well driving - 2 operating cars and 2 operating bikes. Way beyond the norm of people talking well riding in such a short distance. Also a couple of friends will drive substantial distances using only one hand on there clutch less bikes, the hand needed to hold on to something. Despite one friend dropping his planner and paper work all over the road whilst avoiding a car, he still rides mostly the same way (constant nagging over helmets for the past year seems to be taking affect).

[PhilHarries]

Thailand's roads are like a gentle country lane in the west of England by comparison with Viet Nam, and HCMC in particular.

The only thing that stops a wholesale slaughter here is the speed, or lack of it.

[youbuyshirt]

Exactly the same, all. But with a bit more cars than there used to be, especially here in Phuket. Maybe phones weren't as popular when you lived in Thailand? How long ago was it?

I left Thailand about 4 years ago after living there 5 years. Well, this is all very interesting. SE Asians are very reckless people. I had thought it was a VN trait that they are not afraid to die, and that this characteristic helped them win their wars. But I guess it's more widespread than just VN.

But perhaps texting and talking on phones while motorbiking is less dangerous in Thailand than in VN just because the traffic is a lot less dense in Thailand, as Phil pointed out.

[youbuyshirt]

Hmm...I wanted to edit that last post but can't seem to find the edit button. anyway, here's my edit

But perhaps texting and talking on phones while motorbiking is less dangerous in Thailand than in VN just because the traffic is a lot less dense in Thailand. VN is a more densely populated country, and the major cities are, as Phil notes, traffic mayhem. Add to that, in VN everyone is honking their horns all the time, adding to the general confusion. They don't do that in Thailand, do they?

[jackcorbett]

Hmm...I wanted to edit that last post but can't seem to find the edit button. anyway, here's my edit

But perhaps texting and talking on phones while motorbiking is less dangerous in Thailand than in VN just because the traffic is a lot less dense in Thailand. VN is a more densely populated country, and the major cities are, as Phil notes, traffic mayhem. Add to that, in VN everyone is honking their horns all the time, adding to the general confusion. They don't do that in Thailand, do they?

The Thais are as others have mentioned very reckless. As for all the horn honking in VN, I took my Thai girlfriend to Hanoi a few months ago and she absolutely hated all the horn honking. In fact she's not too high on returning to Vietnam and it's almost entirely to all that horn noise in Hanoi.

[LivinLOS]

Vietnamese are far more likely to yield, they dont have the same "I must be first" face issues.. Hence roundabouts work etc..

But the vietnamese roads are worse condition, more congested, and just have a higher volume of bikes and nasty trucks and lorrys.

Secondly the vietnamese bike speeds are so low.. 60kph on a highway.. 40kph in town max speed, so the concept of speed you might be doing on a bike is totally different, your expected to stay right all the time and be at the edge of the road.

[ironhut]

Was in HCMC last week where I felt I needed a deathwish to cross the street. VN motorcyclists drive like they would walk in a crowd (if they were late and trying to get ahold of someone on the phone) with little or no regard for others.

Thailand is WAY better. As I said to a friend...HCMC makes BKK look like it has no motorcycles.