Our first Sunday here and we have a trip planned. Hai-anh and Luong are escorting us to the museum of Ethnography just outside the Centre of Hanoi. The taxi driver is the brother of the lecturer at the University. We are in safe hands. At the entrance to our block we see that our entire exit and alleyway is flooded 6″ deep. The rains were heavy last night. Nothing daunted the taxi trawls through the messy dirty water to reach us.
We visit delicately constructed carved wood houses; some on stilts, some with pointed straw rooves like giant ship sails, all set amongst the palm trees. In the dark inner sanctums are wooden wheels, weavings and pictures of vividly dressed tribal gatherings. Rituals of death and celebration; communal human longings. Different countries have given money to reconstruct these houses here using original materials and craftspeople from the different tribes. We feel calmed- away from the streets of Hanoi, and appreciative that different countries such as Sweden and Germany have conducted such an enterprise so that such beautiful tribal buildings and their history is preserved for us to see. Hai-Anh and Luong are excited by the outing and proud of their country; proud to be showing us different aspects of Vietnam's beauty and culture. 'We have 84 different ethnic minoroties.' They examine respectfully each delicate artefact on display. Later we ask them about their religion and their families. Yes, they have alters in their homes and the whole family meet together at different times during the year to be with their ancestors.