Pedestrian safety compared to Chiang Mai?

AhoyMatey wrote:

My wife and I, with our grade-schooler and toddler, are planning to stay in Da Nang for about 3 months. We've actually contemplated Chiang Mai again since our last stay there was only for a month, but the biggest issue we have with Chiang Mai is the total lack of pedestrian safety there. I feel that the city had way too much traffic for its little 1- and 2-lane roads, and coupled with the super narrow sidewalks that are blocked every 10 feet, we were constantly on alert, carrying our daughter around, and it was kind of stressful walking more than 50 meters anywhere. That plus the free-roaming dogs on quieter streets.

Based on Google Maps street views and dozens of hours of Youtube videos, it looks like Da Nang is generally similar but is a little better in that it has comparatively wider sidewalks, more distance between blockages, and less traffic? Is this correct? Is it also a lot worse in Hai Chau vs An Thuong? How about the number of dogs?

Thanks in advance!

According to my cousin from Thailand who recently visited ĐàNẵng with me, traffic is worse in Vietnam because of far more motorbikes and many drivers going the wrong way on your side of the street.

So on a two way street at an intersection you will possibly have traffic going in at least eight different directions, especially during rush hour.

Having said that, I have gotten to the point where I feel very comfortable crossing the streets as a pedestrian; in Đà Nẵng and most everywhere else I've been.

However, when I was helping children across the street, it was a high-stress situation, especially down near the tourist Beach areas. 

P.S. There are no sidewalks in Vietnam, only motorbike shortcuts and plastic stool farms...

Having been to Thailand about 6 times I find the traffic there way better than VN. Many drivers in VN are self-centered nutjobs and don't give a damn about pedestrians.

Thanks for the replies, guys. I rewatched the Youtube videos and noticed that yes, the sidewalks IMO still look wider and more pervasive than in Chiang Mai (hey at least they are large enough for shops to put tables and seats), but the people taking the videos in Da Nang are walking on the pavement just as everyone does in Chiang Mai, lol. I guess I'll just have to explore a bit to find a few blocks that are lightly trafficked.

AhoyMatey wrote:

My wife and I, with our grade-schooler and toddler, are planning to stay in Da Nang for about 3 months. We've actually contemplated Chiang Mai again since our last stay there was only for a month, but the biggest issue we have with Chiang Mai is the total lack of pedestrian safety there.

Chiang Mai has burning and smoke every spring, that's the worse thing to be aware of.
Street safety is better in Thailand than Vietnam. I didn't find Chiang Mai very walkable: crowds, narrow sidewalks, no sidewalks, etc. OTOH Ayutthaya and beach towns like Cha Am were fine and safe.

In Vietnam cities, pedestrians must fend for themselves at the bottom of the street hierarchy for power, just above cockroaches and rats. School age children become street-smart. If you can't find some very quiet area, perhaps a high-rise development with vehicle-free grounds, it is possible that living in Vietnam will be too stressful for you.

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

There are no sidewalks in Vietnam, only motorbike shortcuts and plastic stool farms...

Now that is quotable and I'm using it!

I have no knowledge of Chiang Mai but have visited Da Nang.  Whether the traffic is better or worse in Da Nang, I think you can surely say that traffic is better in Da Nang than any of the major Vietnamese cities.  I doubt that there are quantitative measurements (motorbikes per km of city street?), but in Da Nang, I had drivers on intersecting streets slow to let me go first, something unheard of in HCMC.  Da Nang is also the only place in Vietnam that I ever saw an individual policeman pull over an offending motorist for a perceived offense, rather than lay in wait in a group and randomly pull over drivers in a money making scheme.  I suppose it is all relative or as people say "compared to what?"

THIGV wrote:

I have no knowledge of Chiang Mai but have visited Da Nang.  Whether the traffic is better or worse in Da Nang, I think you can surely say that traffic is better in Da Nang than any of the major Vietnamese cities.  I doubt that there are quantitative measurements (motorbikes per km of city street?), but in Da Nang, I had drivers on intersecting streets slow to let me go first, something unheard of in HCMC.  Da Nang is also the only place in Vietnam that I ever saw an individual policeman pull over an offending motorist for a perceived offense, rather than lay in wait in a group and randomly pull over drivers in a money making scheme.  I suppose it is all relative or as people say "compared to what?"

That's definitely a fair assessment.

I have been to Chang Mai many times, Danang for a month, I find Danang to be much quieter on the side streets compared to Chang Mai. I also found that the moto drivers in Danang drove slower than the Thais. I have rented motorbikes in both places, found it far easier in Danang.
Try crossing the ring road n Chang Mai, just outside the moat, good luck with a child. I can find traffic lights in Danang to cross at, And dogs are pets in Danang, pretty much the same as the west, not roaming packs of mongrels on every street in Thailand.
That's one thing I never felt comfortable with, had a few scary run ins with Thai soi dogs, the alpha males become territorial.
Take into account I am talking Danang, Saigon and Hanoi are totally different.
And the burning in Chang Mai now lasts several months during the winter, most certainly not a place for a young child.
One thing that I find far better in Danang is themprominade along the river, on the both sides, and the boardwalk along the ocean, quite clean, and very good for a young child.

THIGV wrote:

I had drivers on intersecting streets slow to let me go first, something unheard of in HCMC.

Ok    yeah yeah, don't rip my guts out please.

Had one great weekend in Da Nang and the craziest thing: I saw exactly one motorbike guard. At KFC.
What? you mean I can park my motorbike anywhere and expect it to be there later?
Guess I've been in Saigon too long, motorbikes aren't even safe in your hem.