The Culture in America and Vietnam: Traffic laws

Another big gap in culture between Vietnam and America is the traffic laws, which may be the result of how differently the law enforcement affects society. One of the most impressive points of Vietnamese traffic that American tourists usually complain about is traffic jams. Although the main transportation in Vietnam is motorbike, which is small in size, the traffic still gets heavy daily because most drivers do not care about the laws. Sometimes just crossing the red light will result in a terrible accident. In contrast to Vietnamese, most American people think of traffic laws as something that cannot be broken, or at least should not be. They all understand that a mistake may lead to a serious accident on the freeway or an expensive ticket from the police officer. These prices are very high to pay for a few minutes earlier. One reason to explain the difference is the Vietnamese law enforcement is not strict enough to force people into the right ways. In Vietnam, police officers can be convinced easily by offenders, maybe sometimes with the help of a bribe. Contrasting from that, American policemen are very strict and consistent. Giving them money when being caught may result in another ticket for giving a bribe. Not only the viewpoint about traffic law that Vietnamese people should be concern more, but also the attitude and how they behavior to others. An example is the Vietnamese horn, which varies in meaning such as a warning, a shout, or sometimes just because drivers have nothing to do in the traffic jams. When drivers get stuck in the traffic, there is no mercy on the road. There is no line, no order, and no priority. People try every strategy they have in mind such as going on sidewalks or slowly move forward in groups even when the traffic light is red. Americans, contrastingly, are usually nice to others on the street. They only use horn to warn people that they are driving wrongly or about danger. Moreover, as I experienced, drivers are willing to stop for a few seconds to let people walk across the street even when there is no right for pedestrians to do so. When there is an accident, people prefer calling the police or trading insurance information than shouting and jumping into a fight with each others like Vietnamese men. Being nice and polite may be a characteristic of American culture. By learning and obeying the law, American people have also learned attitude, norms to respect other drivers. While in Vietnam, many drivers show the same attitude to others as they show to the law, their disrespect and rudeness.