One afternoon we went for a rickshaw ride into the oldest part of Hanoi and it felt as if we had stepped back in time. The vehicle we were in was a cyclo or a bicycle driven rickshaw where the passenger sits in front of the driver who is peddaling along. The part of the city we visited by rickshaw is what is left after the bombing during the war. People there have businesses that have been operating for many years. They sell the items that the old fashioned Vietnamese citizen uses at home. Many of the modern families utilize more modern facilities. As the elderly people who own those stores die off, the area will probably cease to exist as will the form of transportation, but while they are still there enjoy a trip back in time. You will see sidewalk barbers, beauty shops, tombstone carvers, funeral flower shops, luncheonetts on the sidewalk, etc. and all of the time people are carrying on their business on bicycle delivering goods with shoulder yokes. This is life in Hanoi today.
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