Arrived in Vietnam

Hanoi is an utter assault on the senses (in a good way). Its louder than anything I've been to in S.E. Asia, getting close to India levels, the people are chatty, in your face, but lovely and smiley, the food has been great and the wandering around the Old Quarters magical and... poisonous (the exhaust fumes!). I've sometimes felt like I was back in China (visiting the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and a temple dedicated to Confucius), but it is also distinctly its own. Tonight we're beginning our trip south, boarding an overnight train to Hue.