After arriving back from Sapa at 5am, we headed to Hoan Kiem lake to observe the morning rituals of the Hanoians. This involved walking around the lake (in one direction only please!), extremely bizarre stretches and exercises, and various groups performing exercises as instructed by a loud speaker attached to a tree. We eventually found somewhere open for breakfast, then headed back to the tour office to wait for our pickup to Halong Bay. The street was, as usual, full of street sellers with fruit, vegetables, meat and flowers for sale. A loud siren announced the approach of the police, and within seconds the entire street was clear of street sellers - some had picked up there wares and run, some had slid into a nearby house. The police car slowly made their way up the
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