Riding to the rescue: Hanoi motorbike taxi drivers turn first aiders

On the tarmac of a dark Hanoi street, motorbike taxi driver Pham Quoc Viet mops the bloodied knee of a fellow rider, one of the hundreds of traffic victims he's tended to in the chaotically congested Vietnamese capital.

By day, Viet, 33, works for Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab, scooting along the tree-lined boulevards and winding alleys of the city.

Grab motorcycle rider Pham Quoc Viet's helmet, Grab jacket, first aid medical kit and reflector strap at his house in Hanoi.

But from 9.30 pm until 1.30 am, he is an unofficial emergency responder, a red flashing light secured to his handlebars as he patrols the streets on two wheels.

"When I first came to Hanoi to work, I thought about what I could do to help those I saw injured in accidents," said Viet, who moved to the city in 2017. The year before, he had been involved in a serious motorbike crash that saw him sprawled on the roadside, glimpsing passers-by too afraid to come to his aid. "I remember that desperate feeling when someone walks on by... I didn't want anyone else to get into the same situation and feel abandoned," he told AFP.

There are six million motorbikes in Hanoi, their dominance and numbers so great that pedestrians struggle to cross roads and minor scrapes are an everyday hazard.

Although more serious accidents are now relatively rare in the capital, victims often face a challenging wait for help as congestion blocks the path of medics and fear of litigation prevents onlookers from offering a hand.

After starting his rescue work alone, Viet now has a team of close to 50 volunteers, most of whom work in Hanoi. Two-thirds are ride-hailing drivers, but there are engineers, mechanics and students too who form a network of eyes on the ground and social media.

Many of the team have been trained in first aid, largely by Viet at weekly sessions, and they keep each other up to date via Vietnamese messaging app Zalo.

Business cards for the SOS Angels first aid team at Grab motorcycle rider Pham Quoc Viet's house in Hanoi.

Although Hanoi's streets are once again bustling after a weeks-long social isolation order was lifted at the end of April, ride-hailing drivers suffered considerably during the pandemic.

"We earnt much less money... it was very difficult but all of us have overcome it," said Viet, explaining that most continued to patrol and buy supplies despite their reduced income. And there was no discrimination when it came to who they treated.

"Some members asked me 'if the injured are not motorbike taxi drivers, why should we care about them?' I told them: 'Imagine those people were your relatives, your friends, would you still say that?'"