Both women and men wear face masks to
protect their skin from the sun and the effects
of air pollution.  Helmet use is now required,
but many are very poorly constructed.
More than once we saw a rain drape like this
one, with a small child tucked underneath.

Vietnam is scooter central, a combination of
chaos and grace that zooms around you.  95%
of registered vehicles are scooters or motorcycles.
Check out the guy going the wrong way on a
one way street!
According to the U.S. State Department,
pedestrians and motorbikes are the single greatest
health and safety risk in Vietnam.  There are no
 crosswalk rules, and pedestrians do NOT have
the right of way.  When crossing, you are
 advised to keep up a steady pace with no
sudden moves.  Scary!  About 30
 people die every day navigating traffic. 
Traffic signals and intersection designs are
 haphazard at best.  Police presence is scant.
 Officials ignore traffic irregularities, and are
 frequently bribed to forget them (per our guide).
Scooters replace trucks to carry huge loads. This
 guy would definitely have trouble swerving to
 avoid a pedestrian.  Can you imagine those bags
 of rice breaking all over the road?