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Fascinating Time-Lapse of Crazy Hanoi Traffic at Night
laughingsquid.com — This is a really cool time-lapse video showing the harmonious nighttime traffic flow in Hanoi at an intersection without any traffic lights.
mark076h- 537 diggs
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- qwertydvorak, on 06/11/2008, -12/+6i can almost see the Hanoi Hilton from there.
- onionbagel724, on 06/11/2008, -7/+8i like the music
- abrasion, on 06/11/2008, -1/+5Agreed- what is it called? who knows?
- SilverBack101, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1With our combined will power we can find this song.
- abrasion, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1Thus far, we've turned up nothing!
- SilverBack101, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1With our combined will power we can find this song.
- abrasion, on 06/11/2008, -1/+5Agreed- what is it called? who knows?
- MalDON, on 06/11/2008, -4/+4The people are like itty bitty ants!
- jattea, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1THEY ARE ANTS!!
- SilverBack101, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Damn you Bill Gates!
- jattea, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1THEY ARE ANTS!!
- boyzo, on 06/11/2008, -4/+9Fantastic demonstration of how you can find order in chaos...
- Steinr, on 06/11/2008, -4/+14and no accidents?
wow we could learn something from these people.- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3Yeah, Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City is even crazier, even with street lights, they're usually ignored in some parts of Saigon. Also if you take the tours (Sit-Lows) you can see the whole city and how people just cut each other off, it's pretty interesting.
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -1/+4"if you take the tours (Sit-Lows)"
It's "cyclo," pronounced "sick-low."
"you can see the whole city and how people just cut each other off"
If you go out late enough, you can see how brutally vietnamese men beat their women in public after they've had a few "bia hoi."
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -1/+4"if you take the tours (Sit-Lows)"
- edebolt, on 06/11/2008, -1/+4except HCMC aka Saigon has about 12K fatalities a year.. In HCMC alone.
- greenruby, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3It looks like they're going pretty slow. If you look at the sidewalks, the people are going as fast as the cars. This would probably be a lot less impressive in real-time.
- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3Yeah, Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City is even crazier, even with street lights, they're usually ignored in some parts of Saigon. Also if you take the tours (Sit-Lows) you can see the whole city and how people just cut each other off, it's pretty interesting.
- Rsulliv1, on 06/11/2008, -5/+9What's the rational for having no lights there?
Why don't we do this in America?
Do you think we could pull this off in any of our major cities? ( I'd say no since we can't even do roundabouts correctly)- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -2/+4They can't really afford it, the Government usually tries to repair stuff instead of building new stuff like lights. It's like a collective conscious of where to go. If you watch the video carefully or visited Vietnam before, you'll notice it's either someone following someone else, or just people randomly cutting through. It's a freaking organized mess. I highly doubt the level of mixed driving skills in America can cope without directions, and signs.
I actually have family who just moved here who are surprised how the streets are so slow and empty, and so inefficient.- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -3/+3"They can't really afford it, the Government usually tries to repair stuff instead of building new stuff like lights. "
lol, have you been to Danang? The government just rebuilt that entire city from scratch. And I'm not talking about renovating a few neighborhoods or anything - they literally bulldozed the entire city and rebuilt it, complete with some bigass bridge over the river. The only building left standing is the Cham museum. Everything else is brand ***** new. It looks like a move set now. You'd almost think the buildings are fake or something, because how else can you have mile after of mile of city block in which every building is painted the same beige color and looks like it was built by the same architect?
The vietnamese government can afford to make all kinds of improvements to the urban infrastructure of its cities. They have chosen not to do so because vietnam probably has the most corrupt government of any country in southeast asia, and so its bureaucrats are too busy screwing whores and drinking blue label scotch to give a ***** whether hanoi has functioning traffic signals.
Are you telling me the people who built this bridge can't afford to build some traffic lights? http://www.danang.gov.vn/- Gutterpunk, on 06/11/2008, -1/+2Yes, everyone knows that Vietnam is made of money! All rich people over there, the governement recently made a big ass loan to Dubai!
"Are you telling me the people who built this bridge can't afford to build some traffic lights?". No we are saying that the people who built this bridge should have built traffic lights with the money instead.
- Gutterpunk, on 06/11/2008, -1/+2Yes, everyone knows that Vietnam is made of money! All rich people over there, the governement recently made a big ass loan to Dubai!
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -3/+3"They can't really afford it, the Government usually tries to repair stuff instead of building new stuff like lights. "
- greenruby, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1There is theory that if the people driving the cars think it's going to be dangerous, they will be extra careful. that's why there are no accidents.
- YogiWanKenobi, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6We could NEVER have something like this in America. Half our drivers would just sit there with the deer in headlights look, and the other half would swerve into oncoming traffic because the car next to them got within three feet of their side. Meanwhile the insurance companies and tort lawyers would form an oligarchy overnight.
- Abomonog, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3We have lights because of a single traffic accident in NYC where someone famous (I don't know who since it was around 1900) died.
However, studies have found that some major intersections in the US do far better without traffic lights.
There has been an effort to start removing traffic lights in places where blackouts actually improved traffic, but as usual the police don't like the removal of a revenue source.
- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -2/+4They can't really afford it, the Government usually tries to repair stuff instead of building new stuff like lights. It's like a collective conscious of where to go. If you watch the video carefully or visited Vietnam before, you'll notice it's either someone following someone else, or just people randomly cutting through. It's a freaking organized mess. I highly doubt the level of mixed driving skills in America can cope without directions, and signs.
- ModernGeek, on 06/11/2008, -7/+6It looks like everybody goes through the intersection slowly, cars yield to the motor cycles and pedestrians, and motorcycles find a gap in the flow of traffic, and drive through it. Cue the "In America, you'd never be able to do this, America sucks, LOLZ".
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1Vietnamese traffic is efficient, but at a price, as accidents are quite common
- ResonantToe, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3The rule goes, as far as pedestrians. You walk out, keep walking at a constant pace, don't change direction or look at the oncoming traffic.
Takes a while to get used to doing that when there's a barrage of bikes coming at you, but it does work.
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -8/+3I've been to hanoi twice and it is a total *****. The city has gotten "better" in recent years in that many of the old neighborhoods have been bulldozed and rebuilt with wider roads - the old city could never accomodate any more than a few cars on the road at any given time - but overall it is still a filthy mess.
It's kind of shame. Not that long ago, hanoi was filthy but quaint and suprisingly quiet. Now it's more like Saigon: filthy but without any redeeming qualities that make it tolerable, let alone livable. Street people no longer pee in the streets and bathe in public fountains (at least not as frequently), but they are still unruly and rude and seem to have too much capitalism on the brain. Yeah, I'm all for freedom of contract, but that doesn't mean you get to stick your filthy ***** hand in my wallet and remove my money from it when I'm buying a ***** tube of toothpaste from you just because you want the small bills and you're worried I'll hand you the 100,000 dong note the ATM spit out and ask for change..- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -2/+2I'm actually Vietnamese, foreigners are usually treated as rich idiots in Vietnam, if you're white you're either gonna be worshipped, robbed, or attacked or all three. Also the population is around 50% poverty the last time I visted my family, poverty as in homeless, or have a home but no food/basic necessity, so don't be surprised if random people come up to you and just reach into your pocket pull out few a bucks and hand your wallet back to you, literally.
It has slightly improved due to the slight economic boom of the computer age which they are currently catching up to (slowly but surely). Also, you sound like a dick, have a great day.- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3I wouldn't be surprised if impoverished street people did that. I am rather surprised when it's the shopkeeper in District 1 just down the street from the Park Hyatt.
What's amazing to me is that in Cambodia, where people are even poorer and more desperate, foreigners are treated with greater respect and dignity than in Vietnam. I'm not some selfish douchebag. I take xe om around town and pay taxi rates. But on a fundamental level, people are still people. I've been to every country in Southeast Asia except Myanmar and I have never such rudeness and dishonesty as I have encountered in Saigon and, increasingly, Hanoi. Vietnamese are just outright dishonest. When you tell me you'll wash my shirt for $.50, you're not supposed to deliver it to me the next day and tell me it's going to be $1.50, or charge $2/hr for internet and then tell me I have to pay an extra $3 because I printed one ***** page. Yeah, it's not much money, but the principle is still relevant. Vietnam's long term economic health is ***** because people don't know how to conduct ordinary commercial transactions.
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3I wouldn't be surprised if impoverished street people did that. I am rather surprised when it's the shopkeeper in District 1 just down the street from the Park Hyatt.
- russelg000, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1No, no, no... Tell us what you really think.
- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -2/+2I'm actually Vietnamese, foreigners are usually treated as rich idiots in Vietnam, if you're white you're either gonna be worshipped, robbed, or attacked or all three. Also the population is around 50% poverty the last time I visted my family, poverty as in homeless, or have a home but no food/basic necessity, so don't be surprised if random people come up to you and just reach into your pocket pull out few a bucks and hand your wallet back to you, literally.
- tarscher, on 06/11/2008, -4/+13I've been there 3 years ago and the traffic was really amazing. the cool part is that they actualy have a system in the chaos: when you want to cross the street you always have to walk straight and maintain the same pace.
- nimajneb18, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2yeh i've been too (to that spot as well) and we were told to maintain the same pace and look at the oncoming traffic so they know you know they are coming. its really busy but there are never any crashes because they all go a lot slower than western cities, and motorbikes are the majority, not the minority.
- Mysk, on 06/11/2008, -8/+5That was almost like watching fish. An interesting video with a good choice of music.
It's also good to see a (better, IMO) alternative to Youtube getting some attention.
By the by, for folks who may be wondering like I was, Hanoi is apparently in Vietnam.- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1Vietnam is known for it's congestions and maneuvering.
- DuffyDirect, on 06/11/2008, -2/+2thanks, but ive known that since 7th grade social studies
- mal1964, on 06/11/2008, -9/+2Psst, Squidward. I'm working in the kitchen at night guess what, I'm chopping lettuce..at night. Look at me, I'm swabbing the bathroom...at night. I BURNED MY HAND...at night. Night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night, night. night, na-na-na-na-night! NIGHT!
- duke1981, on 06/11/2008, -8/+4Was kinda hoping it was overhead with light tracers.....
- edebolt, on 06/11/2008, -5/+5That video was shot late at night when the traffic is light... In HCMC for example about 12K people die each year from motorbike accidents. The moto rental people don't rent to foreigners because they figure its a given they will wreck the bike. It's really hairy driving or even walking in either city... When I come back home to Thailand it's like driving in a ghost town by comparison. Of course it isn't. Vietnam and parts of India are the worst I have ever tried to navigate.
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1Foreigners used to be able to rent bikes in Hanoi. You just had to leave your passport with the rental agent when you took it out. I rode 100cc Honda Dreams and some taiwanese piece of ***** bike called a "Bonus" for $10/day years ago. I even rode a "Minsk," which is some ***** russian bike that belches blue smoke and has no breaks to speak of. Now I wouldn't dare because the streets are filled with careless dumbasses.
- edebolt, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3yeah I was talking about HCMC about renting bikes. Hanoi or a lesser city its possible to rent a bike. Even in HCMC but a lot don't want to rent...
- petrodollar, on 06/11/2008, -2/+1Foreigners used to be able to rent bikes in Hanoi. You just had to leave your passport with the rental agent when you took it out. I rode 100cc Honda Dreams and some taiwanese piece of ***** bike called a "Bonus" for $10/day years ago. I even rode a "Minsk," which is some ***** russian bike that belches blue smoke and has no breaks to speak of. Now I wouldn't dare because the streets are filled with careless dumbasses.
- SmartedPanda, on 06/11/2008, -5/+4What the hell is the song? It sounds good....
Love Hanoi only been there once, but I wanted to visted there agian some day. Should have some videos of Saigon damn beautiful at night, and especially during Tet/New Years. - djcreamy, on 06/11/2008, -4/+9So there's a magical place in this world where Asians know how to drive?
- ohbrilliance, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0Yes, in Asia (Singapore not included. The drivers are atrocious here!)
- Viend, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1Anywhere that's not China nor Malaysia.
- chkdg8, on 06/11/2008, -4/+4And not one crash! American car insurance companies would go out of business over there.
- Viend, on 06/11/2008, -7/+13˙pɹɐʎǝʌɐɹƃ ɐ ʇou s,ʇı ƃuıʎɹnq doʇs
- teddyrux, on 06/11/2008, -2/+3
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- teddyrux, on 06/11/2008, -2/+3
- Po0py, on 06/11/2008, -2/+3At 1.22 minutes something shaped like a pig/elephant looking creature appears at the top right or the screen heading south and is gone by 1.25.
WTF.- skinrock, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I wouldn't call that the top right (top center if you ask me), but good eye either way.
- DrTray, on 06/11/2008, -3/+4What´s with all the burying? I don´t get what´s negative about any of the comments and yet all except on has negative diggs.
Cool video by the way. - adamwsmith6580, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3I learnt how to ride motorbikes in Hanoi. Place to learn, particularly the motorway which surrounds Hanoi. I still get nightmares.
- getbusylivin, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Anyone who assumes that a busy intersection is safer and more efficient without traffic lights than with them is foolish. At least when Humans are driving.
An adviser to the one laptop per child project was put into a coma on these streets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Papert#Accide ...- Abomonog, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1And if he had been hit in America it would have been any different?
The human element means that accidents will happen lights or not.
- Abomonog, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1And if he had been hit in America it would have been any different?
- rsunde, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1if you have rules and some people dont follow them, whoever is following them will end up in accidents because they assume the ones not following the rules are following the rules. I am pretty sure that the first time you drive through this intersection all your 9 senses are on HIGH alert !! :)
I know, we dont have 9 senses, I added a few for good measure, you most likely need a few more to drive through there!! - SteveCk7, on 06/11/2008, -1/+0It's like this in Bali, Indonesia too. When you talk to the people there pretty much everyone has been in a few accidents. Safety of life isn't as high a concern as it is in the western world, which is actually kind of refreshing relative to all the laws and regulations with have to deal with daily here in America.
- thedivinelyevil, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1i see more cars coming from one street, and more bikes from the other! weird!
- nullcodes, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1why dont they build three towers with discs for the traffic to drive on and then they can transfer the traffic from one tower to the next without overloading the traffic
- mille716, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I'm leaving for Souteast Asia next week and was hoping to see Hanoi. Unfortunately now you need to set up travel visas before you go into Vietnam. Damn, really wanted to experience the legendary streets of Nam. Does anyone know if its still possible?
- Abomonog, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Yes, but don't go as a single male. Otherwise the U.S. will label you a sex tourist. Provided you live here that is.
- inactionman, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2I have sat in the restaurant above that junction and in the time it took me to drink one coffee saw 3 accidents, one of them serious. The Vietnamese joke that in the US you drive on the right, In the UK the left and in Vietnam, they drive on both. Not that funny when you see the state of the woman who'd been dragged 30 yards across the junction when her rain cape got caught in a passing moped's wheels.
- UGM2099, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1dugg for rain cape.
- abrasion, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I can't see the towers of hanoi in the movie :(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Hanoi - shaXian, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2Wow. That is a mind blowing example of patience from a large system of unconnected units. Especially when the car flips a U at 1:15. Really awesome. Cool timelapse too.
- NCTintedBlue, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oetF3UTIwbc
- gizmo84, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1anyone know the name of the song used in the video?
- gizmo84, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1anyone know the name of the song?
- kimreede, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0I spent about 3 weeks in various cities in vietnam last summer and was also amazed at the way traffic works there. It is surprisingly efficient for how much chaos there seems to be, but definitely not that safe, I saw multiple accidents take place. On a side note, I was even more amazed at what people manage to fit on single motobikes, such as washers/dryers, families of four, etc.
- btspm, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0Looked better when Wilem Dafoe was dropping 1000 lb snake eyes in people's park.
- gizmo84, on 06/13/2008, -0/+0the name of the song is Photek - Into the 90's
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