I got a bit lost looking for the Vietnam Museum of Revolution. One of the things that were a bit difficult is the fact that not a lot of people understand English. So I just went on my way and after countless steps reached my destination. The ticket I bought cost VND 40,000 and is also valid for the adjacent museum on the same day.

This museum felt very old. It did the part of transporting me back to the time of the revolution. I didn’t take a lot of photos here since I just read the captions, gaining more insight on Vietnamese history. They say museums are for tourists and that travelers usually go without it. So call me a tourist then.

I can’t believe I traveled from that red star in the upper part of the map, followed the red arrows going down and then crossed the border to Cam Pu Chia.

It was drizzling when I exited the museum and had to walk briskly to my next destination. Cos that’s how I roll haha. Fortunately, the National Museum of Vietnamese History was just across the street.

It’s hard to miss this yellow building! I have seen countless buildings of this shade (including the prison) and those usually are of French architecture.

Unlike the previous museum with its drab coloring, this building looked remarkably classic. I may have been swayed by the pink hues and the romantic feel of this museum. I say romantic because it looked like a place I’d go on a date in. 🙂

There was an ongoing exhibit of lotus-inspired artworks while I was there. It was a dark room with whimsical gold lotus plates and other similar paraphernalia. /swoons

The vast first floor deals with pre-”civilization “ artifacts.

I waited for 15 minutes for this guy to move.. to no avail. I kinda regret my impatience now.

I shamelessly sat there for 15 minutes to take a rest. All the walking have tired my legs out. See what I said about pink hues?

Elaborate incense burners.

Thousand-armed Avalokitesvara – there are variations of Avalokitesvara and this one had a thousand arms and eleven heads. (I Google-checked if my memory serves me correctly. I only made actual notes of prices but never names or interesting facts in my journal. Hahaha!)

Candle holders but I can see those as cupcake holders! Imagine how nice it would be for themed parties.

When I got out of the museum, the drizzle has ceased and I was fairly confident that I can book the 2 days/1 night party cruise for the following day. The universe thought “oh no, you don’t” and decided to produce a strong downpour while I was looking for the way back to the hostel to pay for the tour. I found a girl waiting out the rain under a tree, unsuccessful in that endeavor since she was as drenched as me in her uniform. After a few tries, we failed to strike up a coherent conversation. She didn’t know how to speak English, but in the midst of our awkward attempts she started reaching inside her bag and said “rain.. here!”, pulling out a small promotional plastic fan, handed it to me and made gestures of covering my head with it. We then went our separate ways after I smiled and said ‘cam on’. Have I mentioned how much I love Vietnam?

I had no clue where I was, and in fear of having my paper map disintegrate in the rain, I went inside a random cafe. I had the best luck, though, because Hanoi Tropical Cafe had the quirkiness I love in cafes. Also, the staff handed me a lot of tissue the moment I went inside looking like I came fresh from the shower. VND 67,000 well spent.

Passion Fruit Smoothie.

Lime Juice.

After the rain ceased and I was done plotting on how I can get to my next destination, I went and braved my way on the streets of Hanoi. Any guesses on where I went next? Hint: It’s related to water! Let me know what you think in the comment sections or you can message me. 🙂