Street Fight in Hanoi

I have never seen anything like it. Nor do I think I will ever see anything like it again. Today when I was riding my bicycle down the busy main road back to work after my lunch break, I noticed that the traffic was slowing and a small group of curious commuters were gathering looking at something on the sidewalk. If I was in my home country, I would have slowed down, looked and then kept on driving but because I know that everyone stops and has a nosey here, I decided to do the same. As I stopped just far enough away to see what was happening, I saw an angry guy holding another by his shirt. There were another couple of angry guys walking around looking very edgy. There were around 3 or 4 random people casually trying to break up the argument but most other people were just standing around. I tried to figure out what exactly had happened, and when one of the other guys started violently kicking over every sign he could see, another guy grabbed his own motorbike and started to try to drive away. Two guys stopped him and started punching him in the face, repeatedly and for a long time. Then things escalated to a point I never would have imagined. One man fell to the ground, probably from a punch to the face and so the two men started beating the crap out of one other man, over and over and over their fists went into his face until he lost his feet. Then while one of his attackers looked around for a weapon, the other went to the man fallen on the ground and took the biggest kick I have ever seen into his face and kicked him over and over again. I was so angry that noone was really going over to break up the fight, I knew there was nothing I could do because I can't speak Vietnamese, and there were even two army men there who were just standing, watching. Then I was horrified when I saw one of the main attackers come back with a huge brick, and by brick I mean it was 40 x 20cm and the guy could hardly lift it, but in his anger he lifted it up and up and I saw praying, no , please no, but yes, he brought it down with all of his strength onto the mans head. At this point I couldn't believe that all of this was happening on the street, and so many people were standing around just watching, not doing anything. The three guys got back on their motorbike and slowly drove off, right past the army men, and the man lying on the floor who had been round-house kicked to the face struggled to his feet. I couldnt recognise his face for all the blood. He didn't stand for long and at that point I felt so sick in my stomach that I turned and left, as still noone was helping them. What makes me angry, so angry is that how society can be like that, that no one helps, even when someone is at the point of being killed?! The attackers had no weapons (apart from a brick that was too heavy to do anything against a conscious person anyway) and it would have been so easy for a bunch of 4 or 5 guys that were standing around to say, ok, you grab that one, we will grab this one, and we will wait for the police to arrive. But the army guys were there. What use were they? I just cannot fathom how anyone can just stand around and watch that take place. A friend said, well yes Charlene, they were too scared to get involved. Who cares!! there were enough men around to easily overcome all those involved, its just that noone did it. I have lost all faith in this society. Maybe just today while I'm so angry, and yes, I know things like this happen in our countries sometimes, but no, most of the time people do help others, especially in a situation like this with so many people watching etc. Isn't it our human in built duty to protect eachother??? Or maybe I'm just dreaming of a society like that because in recent disaster videos I heard so many people saying, no, lets just help ourselves and save ourselves. Why are we like this?? Is there any way we can change this?? I would like to hear your comments below. For me, I will spend the rest of the afternoon trying to focus on work, but with flashes of the violence coming back into my mind. As a Christian, I am drawn to the bible text that says- "I have told you these things, so that in me (God) you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." So, I know where I will find my peace in this crazy world! How about you?.