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ClosingThoughts that you’ll both survive this wild ballet. It
somehow works… until it doesn’t. Vietnam
Despite its official label as a “Socialist still has one of the highest road fatality
Republic,” Vietnam today is anything but rates in the world.
static. Since the Đổi Mới reforms of 1986, it But that’s the paradox of Vietnam—
has embraced a “socialist-oriented market modern comfort and ancient rhythms coex-
economy.” Luxury malls and Michelin- isting, sometimes clashing, always capti-
starred restaurants now rise alongside a vating. And that’s why I’ll be back.
sea of scooters and tangled wires. The sky- Vietnam surprised me. It was louder,
line is dotted with cranes. The country is gentler, more chaotic, and more soulful
racing ahead. than I ever imagined. A place where memo-
But the traffic? Pure Mad Max. ries of war coexist with an enduring sense
Vietnam’s roads are a freestyle sym- of hope.
phony of horns and handlebars. The only I came to see what had become of the
rule? Bigger vehicles win. Horns aren’t country that once loomed so large in my
warnings—they’re language. Tailgating is a childhood. I left with a deeper understand-
strategy. Cutting off cars is standard, as ing of Vietnam—and, in one final Zen mo-
long as you honk first. ment, maybe even of myself.
Why did the Vietnamese chicken cross
the road? Because it had a death wish. Mike James is a writer and cultural ex-
Crossing the street becomes a medita- plorer. When not traveling, Mike resides in
tive act of bravery. Eye contact with driv- Tijuana, Mexico, where he leads cross-cul-
ers is your lifeline—an unspoken contract tural tours in both Mexico and ColombiaȀ
90 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2025
