Parking enforcement in Vietnam is a little different than other countries
For those of us that have been over to South East Asia we can all attest to the fact that things work a little bit differently over here. The rules of the road are not clearly defined and people just kind of seem to do whatever they want. To an outsider it seems like absolute chaos but there is a certain order to it all. I have only seen one accident in Vietnam since I have been here because everyone seems to really keep their had on a swivel when driving - there is also a system at these crazy roundabouts that is difficult to explain, you have to be in it in order to know what I'm talking about.
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The fist time i joined in one of these I have to admit I was afraid and I used a car as a "shield" to join the circle. 200 roundabouts later, I enter the circle with confidence and realize that the same amount of mutual respect that was given to me to accommodate my joining of the herd, has to be extended BY ME to others trying to join - it really isn't that scary once you try it a couple times.
Unlike other countries where there are a ton of rules and therefore plenty of space, this is not a good time to be checking your GPS, so it is very necessary for you to know exactly where you are going. The Vietnamese are aware of this and people who don't know exactly where they are going can be seen pulled over, before and after major roundabouts, checking their phones to get it sorted out before they arrive at the busy intersection, which is smart... right?
Parking on the other hand is a bit of a problem here from what I can tell. While no parking zones are clearly marked, people don't really seem to give a rip and just do whatever they want. For the most part no one does anything about it but last night during a jog on the beach I saw what Vietnam's coppers do when the rule breakers become the norm. When one person becomes 10 and 10 become 100, I'm sorry but something must be done else all hell breaks loose and next thing you know traffic can't even move down the road because of the illegally parked cars and bikes.
If you park illegally near a roundabout in Da Nang, you will not return to a tire lock on your bike, or a ticket that you must pay by mail or appear before a judge to contest. If you park illegally in Vietnam, you will simply return to a bike that is no longer there.
I would imagine there were a great many confused beach goers last night that returned to their parking spot very confused because as far as I could tell they didn't even give any sort of indication as to where the bikes were being taken. I suppose it isn't that big of a deal because the police station is just a few blocks away but I think this sort of inconvenience will make the illegal parkers think twice before they do it next time.
It is frustrating to me when people park willy nilly anyway especially at these locations because if these lazy parkers would simply go an additional 100 meters down the road there is an absolutely massive parking lot where you pay 25 cents to park until midnight. The lengths that some people will go to in order to save a little bit of money, huh?
When i decided to rent a scooter in Vietnam i was just as afraid as you describe but after the first couple of times in the roundabout "chaos" you realize very quickly that there is a system of "give and take" that actually works as long as you follow the flow.
Good control measure to avoid disorder and abuse in the citiesabout all motorized vehicles that do what they want, park where they look best. In my country it is necessary to drive for you and for them because they are very abusive they eat arrows and they are reckless few who respect the traffic laws. good work with these images. Cheers.
Parking is a huge problem in South Korea. In fact everywhere you go there's no parking. Unless you're going to a major shopping mall or an area where a whole bunch of restaurants have gathered together on about five streets, you won't be able to find a parking lot. So, other than that, the only way to get to a business is to walk there. This is a very big inconvenience if you have a car in korea. I've gotten a ticket for dropping my kid off at kindergarten (30 seconds parking). Schools don't have parking lots here! So what do you do if you're late to school?! Can't drive or when your kid gets out of the car, he has to get out while the car is moving! So dangerous!! I've gotten a ticket for stopping my car off next to corner store to buy a bottle of water and when I came back 20 seconds later it took a picture of my car. Thing is...everyone parks there! That spot must make $5000 a day, i swear! Now these tickets are like $120 each. It's completely ridiculous! If I can avoid it, I just don't drive unless I know there's absolutely a parking lot. As for roundabouts, they have them here too. But not so chaotic i think as vietnam. But ive been in the ones in thailand. They give me a heart attack with all that horn honking. No point to honk. Like its going to make people go faster...
yeah parking is ridiculous in big cities all over the world. I know a few people in NYC, some of which are very very rich people and they don't own cars because the parking spot would cost more than an apartment does.
Man, I can get confused entering a normal roundabout, but this sounds really crazy. I have a hard time imagining what it must be like to look at your GPS before entering the roundabout simply because it is too hard to look at it when you have entered. Almost sounds like a rollercoaster, you have to decide before you enter, because once it has started, there is no way to jump off before you are finished!
It sounds a bit exotic :)
it's pretty easy once you figure it out but this is definitely no time to be looking at a phone screen because you gotta stay extremely aware of your surroundings. It isn't such a big deal for me on my bicycle because traffic seems to accommodate slower moving vehicles a lot more (thankfully).
Round abouts are confusing but is good way to tackle traffic any way this is not the case in Vietnam. I wonder the selfishness of people makes it hard for country to look good in terms of traffic control. I guess road and driving etiquette should be enforced by putting large amount of fine on people by govenment.
Inconvenience is faced when the management is haphazard.
Even my country somehow faces such issues. But let me address road rage. it all starts from here.
By the way great pictorial description, keep up.
In Chiang Mai parking enforcement involves a giant chain getting stretched through a long line of bikes and you can't get it out until you either cut the lock (bad idea) or find a police officer, pay the bribe / fine (however you choose to look at it) and then you are on your way. To be fair Chiang Mai has plenty of parking for the most part so this isn't really an issue unless you are trying to park a car downtown, which is a stupid idea when taxis cost next to nothing.
Trying to find a parking space in any big city is a very frustrating experience. I once got a super duper spot right in front of my building and then decided to not drive my car for several weeks because I knew i would never get that spot again. Here we are several years later and sure enough, i have never had that spot again.