Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 2

Vietnam and Thailand '08 day 2
Walked to the market today, it's 1/4 mile long x about 100m, some outside, some covered including a 2 storey building similar to the one in Ha Noi. Stalls packed together and piled high with everything you can think of. Very narrow passageways between stalls, packed with local people, very few westerners. All very friendly, bought a Hue teeshirt,water, milk powder, (can't find liquid milk) washing powder. Who needs supermarkets, haven't seen one here yet. Even away from the market it's just small specialist shops everywhere. All very friendly but they will sell you the entire contents of the stall if you let them. Really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere/bustle/culture of this place. One interesting observation: despite wet mucky roadways and paths, dirty buildings due to the pollution and mopeds roaring around everywhere kicking up spray, everyone is very smart and cleanly dressed, especially the ladies. How do they get their clothes so clean? certainly not in the river although I have seen some people doing washing in it but it's very dirty water. They must be using the laundries which are numerous here, not coin operated but people who take in washing.
After the market, walked through a large north-riverside park with raised beds all nicely planted out. It had obviously not fully recovered from the recent flooding though, with many paths still covered in mud left when the water subsided. The city is divided by the Perfume River, so-called after some sweet smelling flowering plants found up-river. The river is very wide and flows not much below the surrounding flat land on which the city is built. London and Hue have the same motivation for combatting global warming.
Ate in the hotel restaurant, an excellent viet meal, followed by early night!
Hope everyone fit and well,
John