I met a few other travellars in the hostel...they all said the same thing...get out of Hanoi and the people are different. I was really happy to hear this because I was sick to death of being hunted down by all the hawkers!!! I met Kasie on my last day while I was at the post office mailing some packages...that I don't think are going to make it to Alaska and Washington!!! It was wonderful to meet another travellar and hang out and speak English AAAAALLLLLLLLL DAY!!!! She advised me to not speak when the hawkers came up to me...then that way they didn't know where I was from.
While I was waiting for the night bus to Danang...some French tourists and I saw an old lady get hit by a cab while riding her moto!!! It was shocking...nobody stopped to help her!!! Just us tourists!!!! The French were well-prepared and brought out one of those shiny blankets to wrap her in...the shop owners (who finally came out) put her into a taxi!!!!! And away she went. Very odd. And sad.
We then were all herded onto the night bus and crammed into these tiny seats/beds...and the driver honked the horn all night, which is what they do on the big roads...it was so exhausting!!!! Nobody spoke English around me...it was all very sad after spending the day with Kasie. Off to the Danang experience...which was mercifully brief!