Having grown up in one-story houses in San Jose, I've gotten used to being at ground level, but one striking thing about big cities and countries with limited land is how living accommodations are built up. Many houses in Viet Nam are multi-story complexes complete with spiral staircases made of smooth hardwood or marble. Some classier houses even have elevators in them, and families would often live on the higher floors and use the ground-level floor for their businesses or trade.
When my husband was young, he'd pull crazy stunts like jumping across rooftops or climbing along narrow decorative ledges on the outside of buildings. This is what happens if you don't have a TV. Once, his life was saved by a meager clothesline hung between buildings. Sometimes I'm amazed that with all the shenanigans of his youth, he lived to marry me.
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