It occurs to us that we've seen no evidence at all that we're in a Communist country right now. If we were dropped here without any prior knowledge, we would think it was all just capitalist. The green military uniforms and the red flag make it look Communist, but there's nothing else that we've noticed.

We keep re-meeting fellow travelers and tour guides. It's like God is running out of extras in the movie of our lives.

Took the noisy, bumpy night train back from Lao Cai/Sapa last night, and arrived back here in Hanoi at around 5 am. Strange walking around the streets so early. Almost tranquil (but still stinky). Flying off to Hue tomorrow...