Or misremember
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N Vietnam 2012
Day 3 - 26th May - National Museum of Vietnamese History (Part 3)
It was drizzling so I upgraded from motorbike to taxi. On the roof it said "meter taxi", but the driver refused to use the meter and quoted me 20,000 VND. I asked if we could use the meter and he repeated 20,000, so I had no choice (it might've been maybe 16,000 without the meter, so it wasn't so bad). If it'd been winter I'd have resisted more but as it is I resigned myself to condemning Vietnam as a country of swindlers.
I had a quick look at the Opera House.
What the building was built to host performances of. Notice it's only in English.
What the building actually hosts performances of. Notice it's only in Vietnamese.
The Opera House was hosting some event.
Invitees. The men in suits, the women in Ao Dais. It seems a universal phenomenon that even when women wear ethnic wear, the men don't. Though possibly this is a bit different in India.
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The Hanoi Hilton (officially the "Hilton Hanoi Opera Hotel")
Opera House with tropical adaptations like louvre windows
Tokusatsu banner
I saw Voltron on a TV screen another time
Opera House from another angle
Banner for The Girl from Maxim's
I then arrived at the National Museum of Vietnamese History.
Photography and videography was supposedly on production of a letter of recommendation only. I think despite this photography passes were available for purchase and I think, being a sucker, I bought one again.
There was an exhibition on dragons in Vietnamese artefacts.
Dragon motif on bodhi-leaf
Dragon motif on doors
Decorations in bodhi leaf shape
Brick with dragon and dancer
Architectural decoration in dragon head form
Dragon motif on lampstand ("lamstand")
Hook for hammock with Makara (Dragon), Naga
Dragon motif on Queen's Hair Cap
Incense burner with dragon, sacred animals
Dragon motif on incense burner
Dragon figurine
Dragon motif on seals
This sign tries to claim that Vietnam was "a cradle of early human development". Right. The English grammar is better than the French (but this wasn't evident everywhere)
Stupa models
Vietnamese poem in both Phien Am and Dich Nghia. The former corresponds to Mandarin pronunciation more closely (probably Cantonese would be even closer)
Celestial Singer
Stele
Brick with garuda
King Le Dai Hanh portrait (replica)
Figurines
Boy buddha rising from lotus
Boddhi leaves with phoenix
"Relief"
This pot with 2 warriors was not labelled, but I presumed (from surrounding artefacts) that it dated from the 13th-14th centuries.
I know I rib on the Vietnamese for being Third Rate Chinese copies, but if without copying they came up with this, copying was a better idea. Other pottery sans Chinese influence was either plain or plain with geometric designs. All in all, very generic (I was impressed by a few wood items, but the tropics are humid).
They had some stakes from a famous river battle where the Chinese had been lured in during high tide and were trapped during low tide. Hah.
Bronze jar
This item from the Dong Son culture was quite impressive. At first I thought it was from 2-3,000 BC, but actually it was 2-3,000 years ago. How sneaky (and the sign won't age well).
Stuff
Siva
On Champa art.
Champa art was not Chinese-influenced (more Khmer-influenced). The Champa culture was overrun by invaders from the north (the Vietnamese). Hurr.
Uma goddess
Head of Goddess
Prayer
Head of Siva. I think that's flaming hair.
Lion in surrendering pose
There were quite a few prancing/surrendering lions