Much less visited than the Citadel is An Dinh Palace, "Hues verborgener Schatz." It is a hidden treasure. No one else is there at all. The Museum of Fine Arts is small, though it includes some precious things. An Dinh is lovely, though. It's like a French palace, but even smaller than Linderhof, poor mad Ludwig's imitation of one.
The back gate.
The side view. There's a little chandelier hanging on the balcony.
No photos allowed inside, and the German Conservation Restoration & Education Projects book about the restoration is on display, but out of print. The walls are painted in complex, colored patterns, in some places with frames and borders. There are a couple cases of china on display, but the rooms are otherwise unfurnised. The upstairs is not blocked off. Here are empty rooms with beautiful painted walls, but nothing else. In some places, the floor is simply boards, and it's possible to see what's going on downstairs through the cracks between them. But nothing's going on below. There's nothing to do but sigh and go.
Up Nguyen Hue street, past the church and the school at the corner sits a coffee shop. Young people play cards and relax. The owner's two babies toddle about. In spite of the traffic, it's very restful.
