Safety in Vietnam

During a reflection period with the whole group the topic of safety in Hanoi was discussed. A few specific examples that were talked about were the ways in which people drive, as well as the interaction between pedestrians and motorists. After having this discussion I became more aware of safety in Vietnam, and paid closer attention while walking or biking around Hoi An. There were many things that really stood out to me in Hoi An in regards to a lack of safety. These include the streets, the working conditions as well as food safety.

Much like Hanoi, the streets in Hoi An were very busy with motorbikes, cars, trucks and buses, but this time we were apart of the traffic. On our bike tour around Hoi An I quickly realized how dangerous the roads were. An example of this is the obvious disregard for traffic rules. Many times I saw people blow through red lights without hesitation, while beeping incessantly to let anyone around know they were coming. This was shocking to me, because in America the traffic rules are for the most part followed and strictly enforced for the public’s safety.image

Another moment that stuck out to me in terms of safety is the working conditions. While on our Ecotour we passed many construction sites all of which having one thing in common; the workers were barefoot while working. This moment both shocked and confused me, because although they did not have shoes on, they did have hard hats on. I could not understand why they would take safety precaution in one way and not the other. The only reasoning that I could come up with is that there is a law for hard hats therefore they wear them, but nothing stated about shoes therefore they do not find them necessary or boots are just too expensive. This is something one would never see in the states, because it is such an obvious safety issue.

The third thing I noticed about safety had to do with the preparation of food at restaurants. While at the organic farm, Minh mentioned that Vietnamese people are becoming more health conscious and worried about what they are putting in their bodies, thus the increase in organic farming. Although this is becoming more of a concern the conditions of restaurants completely negates the effort to protect the people’s bodies. Many times while eating at a restaurant, I had to walk through the kitchen to get the the bathroom. This only contributed to the uncleanliness of the kitchens. I found it very ironic that so much effort was put into clean farming for the benefit of people’s health, only for it to go to waste in a dirty kitchen. I am very interested to see if and how the safety precautions change as we move into a more westernized part of Vietnam.

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