Hue was my first stop. I got to Dong Ba market early because I could not sleep. There was no better reason than that. Most of the setting up was finished by the time I arrived and found somewhere for coffee.
In Da Lat the mornings were colder than I expected. The town wakes up in stages, and the first hour belongs to whoever is already working. I bought coffee there too, then stood out of the way.
The ride out of Mu Cang Chai was about fifteen kilometers and it was freezing the whole way. I reached the top just before sunrise. That was luck more than anything I did, and I never managed the same timing again.
Further south, near Hoi An, the fields sit flat and close to the road. The work there runs on its own schedule and has nothing to do with people passing through. I kept to the edge of the field.