Hanoi is a fascinating city—vibrant, prosperous, and ramshackle all at once. Stepping outside means risking imminent death by motorcycle. The only way to cross a street is to head across at a steady pace, hoping that the vehicular calculations of relative velocity versus future positioning in time and space match your own. There is no stopping, and this is no game of (or for) chickens. Crossing the street in Hanoi is a fun sport in a way, at least once the death-by-motorcycle defying parameters are internalized and accepted.

Above: The Long Bien Bridge “walk way”; Below: View from the back of our hotel in the Old Quarter.