I had forgotten abut this thread, I just now rediscovered it. Posting for the sake of "body of knowledge".

VN traffic is pretty easy going most of the time. Scooter traffic in Hanoi is hectic, but it's actually quite a buzz. None of our group found it particularly intimidating.

Minibus drivers in VN urgently need re-educating - overtaking where there is obviously no space is just normal to them. However, bus and truck drivers I found to be pretty good by the standards of SE Asia. They do have a weird habit of driving the wrong way down the shoulder "scooter lane" though.

The traveller who offered me a stern warning about VN was well off the mark - I suspected as much, which was why I asked for more advice.

I did not encounter anything to change my opinion that private motorists in Malaysia are the stupidest of all. I'm talking about country roads and highways where poor decisions and low levels of skills can easily result in a fatality, not tame city traffic where it's just an annoyance.

My comparison is Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines.

Many road users in these countries got their license by means that did not provide any useful guidance on risk assessment and mitigation. It's a case of "rider beware"

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