Hanoi and its motorcycle traffic

Hanoi and its motorcycle traffic

The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi and with more than eight million inhabitants the second largest city in the country of the Vietnames.
The country is full of mopeds and we were told that there are more of these mopeds in Hanoi than there are people. But road accidents are the number one killer in Hanoi. That is why the government made helmet compulsory not so long ago, but not everyone adheres to it. Some helmetless street rebels with flowing black hair, fluttering shirts and broad shoulders add to the usual cityscape. The helmet, which usually sits on the head, is more reminiscent of what jockeys wear on their heads and its thin shell is more fashionable than functional. The driver and front passenger are often busy holding the loose chin strap so that the helmet doesn't hit the ground at the next pothole.