October 2009

Outside Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh, I saw a statue located in the roundabout and took a picture. I found out later it was that of a Vietnamese hero, Tran Nguyen Hai. We could have visited other places in the city, but we needed to catch a flight to Hanoi that day. The latter was our next destination.

A sister of two of my companions was based in Hanoi. We stayed with her and she took us to some cultural sites around the city. The first stop was Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. It was worth the visit. Both indoor and outdoor exhibitions were culturally enriching.

The indoor exhibition showcased smaller models of houses, several artifacts and traditional  practices like weddings.

The outdoor exhibition showcased replicas of several traditional Vietnamese houses. We explored most of their interiors. It was a relaxing experience. The stilt house below was my favorite.

I was also able to take a picture of a very long dragon boat. After the outdoor tour, we decided to eat traditional Vietnamese food near the entrance of the museum.