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Taxis in Ghana and Vietnam

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fareed Ahmed

Ghana and Vietnam have already been instanced before as neck-and-neck in the race for economic development. Both countries come in the World Bank's lower middle-income group and for several years past they've recorded very similar GNI per capita data. In 2014, however 2020 Ghana Music, Vietnam seemingly have pulled only a little ahead, being in 144th position in the world rankings on $1890, in comparison to Ghana in 150th position on $1620. They're completely different countries in several respects, but one of many first characteristics observed by travellers is the nature of taxi drivers and the grade of service they provide.

All taxis in Ghana are standard saloon cars with yellow-painted wings since a minister of transport in the initial government of Kwame Nkrumah enacted regulations and his wife imported a large consignment of the appropriate paint. In Vietnam, taxis are standard saloon cars painted in the livery of various companies, but as in Ghana, many do not sport an illuminated taxi to remain the roof, which is often confusing to the hailer, especially at night.

Ghanaians are highly gregarious and this is reflected in the behaviour of taxi drivers. Not merely do they like speaking with their passengers, in English and in local dialects, however they drive with open windows to hail all passing friends and acquaintances and to purchase refreshments from wayside vendors. It's normal practice to try to run with a full taxi by picking right up all available passengers and delivering them for their various destinations in turn. If one needs the exclusive use of a taxi it must be chartered at a special rate. Standard journeys are charged at a typical rate and until recently most taxis did not work with a meter.

Generally, Vietnamese taxi drivers cannot speak with foreign passengers and remain silent throughout the journey aside from frequent calls on their mobile telephones. Even with Vietnamese passengers they often say very little. They drive with closed windows and air-conditioning and all taxis carry a meter in easy view of the passenger. Drivers in both countries like to play music as they drive, and one suspects that previously the music could have been very different. However, today, the exact same popular music is played all around the world.

Most taxi drivers are aggressive and drive too fast, often ignoring traffic signals and road restrictions, and this is so in Ghana and Vietnam. However, in both countries, taxis are severely restrained by traffic conditions. In Ghana the roads are jammed by four-wheeled vehicles of most types and size but in Vietnam the taxis plough via a sea of small motorcycles. The traffic is significantly diffent but the result is often the same: total gridlock. So it's not surprising that taxi drivers get frustrated, and it is pleasing to report that in both countries there is a minority of careful drivers who is able to negotiate the chaos without putting undue stress on their passenger's heart.

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fareed Ahmed
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