RULES OF T HE ROAD
There’s no doubt about it, Vietnamese traffic is chaotic and the first foray onto the road is daunting. After a while patterns begin to emerge and with them the realisation that there’s a method to the madness. In a country where insurance exists more as a concept than reality no one wants to collide and when accidents do occur they’re usually resolved on the spot with cash.
Whatever the rules may say it’s mutually understood that there’s a defined area of personal responsibility. Look straight forward and anything in the 2m ahead or, if it’s closer, up to the rear of the next vehicle is for the individual to take care of.
What’s happening behind or to the side is irrelevant. When there’s a need to enter a junction, turn, stop or open a car door, that’s for others to deal with. Whoever impacts first is at fault. Simple really. capes worn by locals were much less sweaty than our waterproofs and secondly never to take our eyes off the road. Fascinating as riding through the old Michelin rubber plantations was, the novelty of hitting potholes soon wore thin. Our 10in wheels were routinely swallowed by the broken road surface. Little did we know that worse was yet to come.
The road to nowhere: Binh Chau to Da Lat
It started so well. Today’s ride was scheduled as a short hop into the Low Highlands, a distance of 100 miles that should have taken around four hours. After a leisurely breakfast we hit the road, a quick fuel stop and away we went. One of the major risks in Vietnam is poor quality fuel. Whether in town or country, filling up is a game of petrol roulette. The first casualty was Christian’s PX, followed closely by mine. Any signs this was a