Traffic in Frenetic HCMC, Vietnam from Rob Whitworth on Vimeo.

Upon arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam two years ago, I was instructed on how to perform the seemingly intuitive task of crossing the street: just cross it. Yes, there would be an onslaught of cars and motorbikes, and yes, where I come from, a little patience at the crosswalk usually rewards me with a stoplight-induced pause in traffic, but here things are different. One had to simply cross, stride forward into the asphalt gauntlet with no fear, just faith that two intersecting streams of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, would reconcile themselves. And they always did.

The ebb and flow of Vietnamese cities like Hanoi are nothing short of magical, and photographer Rob Whitworth attests to this with a captivating time-lapse video showing the thrilling circulation of traffic in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon to some). Threading together 10,000 RAW images, Whitworth captures what he describes as the “relentless energy and pace of change” found in Ho Chi Minh City. While some cities squabble over where to draw bike lanes and who gets access to what, Vietnam’s cities leave a wide open space for constant conflict and resolution, and somehow, everyone gets along just fine.

[Video found via The Atlantic Cities]

by Kelly Chan

posted in Video

tagged cities, Ho Chi Minh City, traffic, vietnam

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