We woke up on or last day in Hanoi wishing we could say there longer and already planning when we could return for a longer stay. On our way to the airport, we made some last minute observations about this wonderful city. 
Our first observation, is the structure and size of most buildings.  

 The buildings tend to be very tall and skinny. We were told that the reason for this is the cost of real estate. People purchasing property, will buy a small plot of land and build their home or business upwards into skinny buildings. Another fun Hanoi fact has to do with the names of the streets. When the city was first developed, the businesses were grouped together based on the goods they sold. The names of the streets represent what item was primarily sold on each street. So you might have a street called “Toy Avenue” and they sell toys. Another street is called “Coffin Boulevard” and this is where you go to get items for a traditional funeral. 
Our second observation, has to do with the motorcycles. More people use motorcycles than cars in Hanoi. This gives the locals more flexibility with parking (everyone parks on the sidewalk). Also, it’s cheaper to maintain a moto than a car and they require less gas.  

 This motorcycle rider is carrying what looks like goods for selling in a store or an outdoor market. I don’t know how he checks his blindspot though?  

 It’s not uncommon to see two, three and even FOUR riders on one moto.  

 If you look closely, you’ll see this lady rising her moto in high heels. Motorcycle riding is unisex and often we saw more ladies riding than fellas. 

The last major observation we made, has to do with street vendors. Instead of setting up a cart in one place, like other street vendors we saw in Thailand, most of them carry their product with them. This allows the street vendors to be mobile and move around the city to sell to store owners, locals at the coffee shops and anywhere they can find the tourists.  
 A street vendor selling fresh shrimp and fish.  

 The vendor prepares to make a sale. 

 The vender carries a scale to measure the weight of the shrimp.  

 The shrimp and fish are laying on mounds of ice (white blob in the middle of photo) in order to keep the product fresh. 

Already prepping the post about arrival in Hoi An and our day at the beach. As always, thanks for reading about our adventures!