When I lived there 6-7 years ago many people didn’t even stop at red lights. It wasn’t uncommon to see someone wearing a cooking pot as a helmet. It will be a while before any policy is actually followed
this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2025
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Haha, not sure which part of Vietnam you visited, but I’ve been traveling to Vietnam on and off for at least 30 years. Even back then, I never saw anyone wearing a cooking pot as a helmet — most people simply didn’t wear any helmet at all.
For the pots, all over Ho chi Minh to not get a ticket when word is out at the police are ticketing for no helmet. Which is why i say it will be a while before any policy like this is actually followed, just like the red lights which are still not followed.
It wasn’t uncommon to see someone wearing a cooking pot as a helmet
So you're saying that people there are actually trying and making an effort to do the right thing instead of getting all bent out of shape that head protection makes them "less masculine"? I say the country has more hope than the US for lasting, effective change in policy and lifestyle.
Didn’t take long for someone to make this about the US lol
Comparing Vietnam to the US is a pretty low bar. You're not wrong but it just seems like a pretty strange comparison
The internet has broadly become a really contentious shitty place where nobody can stand not being "right" about something.
I dont think time is the critical factor, but will.
If they really want to roll this out then they will.
Even if there's no pressure on commuters, rental places and companies will do it, then at least the market and infrastructure for them is improving.
Hmm if I was poor and couldn't get a helmet, yea I'd use a cooking pot.
Amazing idea, but if the wiring in that second picture is anywhere near commonplace, you're going to want to put a bit more budget into power grid maintenance. That rats nest of cabling is bad enough from a low voltage IT perspective, I can only how terrifying that would be for HV engineers.
Charging the battery for a moped is not nearly as demanding as charging the battery for a car.
I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that Vietnam is one of those countries where most people get around on a moped, and also one of those countries that has already been shifting towards electrifying their moped fleet. If that modal share doesn't change they might not need major infrastructural investment in order to strengthen the grid.
Edit: Battery swapping stations are also quite common for mopeds in countries like Taiwan. Those can be trickle charged rather than fast-charged.
it is that kind of country, this is going to rapidly change the country for the better when the barn goes into effect.
The exhaust and noise of engines is pretty rough in cities and towns there, which is common in Asia.
but for a lot of countries I visited, after they transitioned to electric mopeds, it's so much more pleasant to walk around, shop, and live.
It really is incredible how much less power you need for lower weight. Ebikes and electric scooters should be the transportation.
Neither an ebike nor an electric scooter would get me to work.
Hey look it's the "it doesn't work in 1000% of cases" guy.
What? You didn't add 73,250 different disclaimers and qualifiers to your internet comment to make sure that your opinion includes all possible sets it applies to and none of the ones it doesn't? How problematic of you.
edit: to the person who had a problem with this, you are part of the problem.
Is your commute>60 miles? If so, then you're only using the scooter to get to the train station. If not, there's VN scooters for <2K that can do that in an hour, and chinese scooters that are even faster.
My commute includes interstate travel, unless I want to make my commute even longer. Escooters and Ebikes are non-starters. Not even taking into account the assortment of tools I have to carry with me for service calls.
All I'm getting at is the comment that I originally replied to "Ebikes and electric scooters should be the transportation" simply isn't compatible with a whole lot of people's situations, not just mine.
Maybe change your situation.
After a week in Vietnam, you wont be able to look at anyone who says they need a pickup truck to carry tools without thinking "skill issue".
That rats nest is the default everywhere in SE asia.
The cables are well insulated, and it's usually only the last 50m or so run like that.
It's far less horrible than it looks, a lot of it is slack for repairs and re-routing. You see this across much of the world where they can't afford utility boxes under every post.
Sounds like a pipe dream.