Two Sundays ago was the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the patron saints of Phat Diem diocese and the cathedral. It was a big time, with a procession to the cathedral, a high mass with all the incense and music, and then a procession outside to the statues of the saints where the marching band played (yes, with all the brass and the loudest bass drum ever). I got to sit in the choir loft, so the pictures of the inside are from there.
Here Sister May is playing the organ. Well, actually, it is a keyboard that is hooked up to the sound system. You'd be amazed at how great it sounded
The cathedral choir is magnificent and practices each week. Because the language is frought with many intricate nuances of pitch (six different ways to say any set of letters) their pitch in singing is exquisite. They sound like angels.
This last picture is of the work done to repair the cathedral. In 1968, it was bombed by the US. The roof was badly damaged, and some of the walls were damaged. Here you can see the newer stones that were inserted. It took the local farmers about a year, working every day between bombings and fighting, to fix the entire building.
