Why is nobody killed every time the lights change?

because they are all going slow and have a certain amount of respect for each other. otherwise it would be carnage

From a Western visitor:

"Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now officially known in honour of the Godfather of Vietnamese communism) is the largest and most vibrant city in the country.
Capital of the south during the American War, it is an intense, hectic metropolis where two-wheelers rule roads which to any and all foreign interpretations, have no rules.
To cross a road in Saigon, is to walk into a nonstop flood of motorbikes and mopeds, holding the hope that your path will be avoided by the next twenty or so Hondas, Piaggios and Yamahas that will be bearing down on you with considerable speed.

To make a succesful crossing one must act like the helmsman of a yacht, making clear and deliberate actions so that any larger vessel is clear of your intentions and thus has the means to avoid you.

No eye contact, no hesitation, just cross.

I’ve heard a statistic that there are 15,000 road deaths in Vietnam each year. This is an extraordinarily high figure, though on the strength of a few days casual observation I can believe it."