Vietnam. Part IMap
December 31 — January 2, January In Vietnam all the logos on vehicles are reinforced with rivets. ![]() And all lettering on vehicles is additionally reinforced as well. ![]() Turn signal lights have additional metal brackets attached over them. ![]() And rearview mirrors are protected with frames or metal inserts, which are also riveted into place. The only people who don’t do this are those who keep their car in a garage or behind a fence. ![]() License plates are also riveted down. Otherwise, every last little thing will get torn off the car. ![]() On the front of the car, the Vietnamese license plate is elongated, like in Europe. On the back it’s compact, like in the US. ![]() Almost no two depictions of pedestrians on traffic signs look alike—every district is trying to outdo its neighbors in a competition of anthropomorphic monstrosities. ![]() The “Pedestrian Crossing Ahead” sign on the highway is different from the one in the city. ![]() An unexpected arrow addition to the road pictogram on the “Sharp Turn” sign. ![]() The “Don’t crash into the rear of a truck” sign. ![]() For some reason, the sign for “Bumpy Road Ahead” looks like this. ![]() The digger gently touches his shovel to the top of the heap. ![]() In general, from the existing traffic safety signage one can conclude that the Vietnamese treat road signs like candy wrappers, and so they gladly use them for decorative purposes. ![]() The forest fire danger level indicator looks exactly the same as in Australia. ![]() All trucks, buses and minivans have to display their license plate number in large print on the rear and sides of the vehicle. This is all a legacy from wartime regulations. ![]() The driver-side door of all trucks, buses and minivans always indicates the cargo capacity (reminds me of Trinidad and Tobago) and passenger capacity. This information is usually displayed as a semi-circle. The inscription “1T5” means “1.5 tons.” ![]() People here evidently like to install ceramic dog sculptures at the top of gate posts. All the gate dogs seem to be identical, but occasionally you come across some variety—for example, lions. ![]() Post boxes are omnipresent, installed on almost every major street. The most common design has two unmarked slots and stands on one leg. ![]() Other kinds of designs exist, but are rare. ![]() Vietnamese cities are all fairly similar. The difference lies mainly in the design of trash dumpsters. Here’s Saigon: ![]() Here’s Hanoi: ![]() And here’s Cần Thơ: ![]() In Hanoi, all the signs warning of a traffic light ahead have the green light painted in blue. ![]() And all the streets are decorated with ideological propaganda banners. ![]() The trees growing in the streets of Saigon are unbelievably tall and straight. ![]() The city also has the most incredibly dense and tangled cables in the world. ![]() Absolutely nuts. ![]() In Hanoi, they’ve learned to conceal the same volume of cables underground in special corrugated orange tubes. ![]() A Vietnamese skull looks very different from a European one. ![]() Electricity meters for buildings are often hung on nearby street posts. ![]() The concrete posts have an interesting construction—there’s a series of dual-purpose holes going through the post. On the bottom half, the holes are used for special dowel bars that utility workers insert in order to climb up the post, using the bars as a ladder. ![]() And on the top half, the holes are used to attach electrical equipment. There are also special grooves around the holes for fastening brackets and clamps. ![]() |
december
Promenade aboard the Coucousique. I. Nizhny, Kirov, Perm, Lysva, Suksun |
december
Promenade aboard the Coucousique. II. Perm, Izhevsk, Kazan, Nizhny |
december–january 2010
Vietnam. Part I.
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