So...after wandering a bit on my first night, I discovered that Hanoi was not the lawless, bag-snatching Hell hole I had been led to believe. Though the hawkers were a bit of a pain in their tenaciousness to sell you a hat or a fan or a multitude of other relatively simple and limited use items, no one tried to rob me or take my shoulder bag or steer me down a blind, dark alley to mug me. In fact, most of them smiled and said ' hello ' and offered mototaxis and things...but not once did I feel threatened one bit...and by eleven o'clock, the streets start to empty and it becomes easier and less hassle to walk around. The first morning, I woke early-ish to make the included-breakfast at my hotel. EVERYONE of the
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