Journey to Peace Village

Viet Nam recently enacted a helmet law. Like Thailand, all people riding motobikes in Viet Nam are required to wear helmets. This is part of a safety campaign to reduce the number of accidents and traffic deaths. Almost every day I go past a big electronic sign that keeps count of the number of accidents and deaths this year and last year. It reminds me of when I was a kid in the 60s and saw these types of totals on the front page of the newspaper. Most people seem to be complying with the law and on December 14, the day before the new rule went into effect,there were huge lines to buy helmets. Fortunately, my school provided me with a free helmet.

Labels: culture and society, legal system, Viet Nam and the West