Ok, so I got a motorbike. I've been riding for about 10 days now and am starting to understand the unwritten rules of the road here. Official rules like "stop at red lights" are meaningless in Viet Nam. People simply ignore them. Much more important are the unwritten rules that one learns only through experience. One is that in an intersection without a light, the first guy there has the right of way. This rule has a corollary - even if you're the first one there it is sometimes that case that you should yield to the larger vehicle. (Q: Where does an 800 pound gorilla sleep? A: Anywhere he wants.)
Or take red and green lights. People sort of obey them, but their obeisance is forced by drivers going the other direction through the intersection. When a light turns red, the traffic flow that *was* going through the intersection continues to go through it until the people who now have the green light flood into the intersection and choke them off. It's important that the people who now have the green light make a show of strength in numbers. If only a few guys go out they will get clobbered -- gotta go in force. The traffic whose light just turned red will keep going until they're forced to stop.
I've witnessed a similar phenomenon with left turns. In the face of heavy oncoming traffic flow it's virtually impossible to make a left turn on your own (I've seen it done, but mostly by 16 year old boys with a death wish). You generally have to wait for more people to arrive who want to make the same left turn. Then when the left-turners reach critical mass you make a break for it and force oncoming traffic to yield before your combined might. Coalitions between complete strangers are built and dissolved within seconds to achieve a common end. It's fascinating to watch, let alone participate in.
Since I don't have a place to store my bike I need to bring it into the house at night. It's kinda weird, but I've learned that bikes are prized possessions here are subject to rampant theft if left unprotected. I've even seen guys reclined and sleeping on their bikes. Gotta get a pic of that.
Check out this blog for another expat's view on the crazy traffic here.