Behind the cathedral at Phat Diem is the museum of the cathedral and its grounds. The area is rich in heritage and has survived much from the French and American wars. You can see the beautiful portico that surrounds the building, one large room inside with many artifacts. I toured this last year and hope to get more pictures of it this year.The grounds around the
museum are beautifully landscaped, perfect for stolling or meditating, both of which are done by the priests, sisters, and seminarians. There is a certain feeling of calm and definitely of zen when one wanders from path to path, from tree to tree or flower to flower.
museum are beautifully landscaped, perfect for stolling or meditating, both of which are done by the priests, sisters, and seminarians. There is a certain feeling of calm and definitely of zen when one wanders from path to path, from tree to tree or flower to flower. 
There are many butterflies flitting around on the grounds. Some are small and yellow and these usually are in pairs. The large ones are black and their wings shiny, so that in the light they appear to have a sheen of dark blue and green. 
All of the stones in the wall are rough hewn. This means that they do not have smooth edges, and this gives them the beauty of asymmetry. There are really no perfectly straight lines, giving the admirer the idea that life is not even, but rather a series of events that somehow fit together in a larger plan.
Here is a view from the fountain toward the museum. The water is full of living plants and some very loud frogs. In the evening it seems that every male frog is singing to every female frog in the province. It is very loud.
This is a bust of Fr. Six, the priest who built the cathedral and the grounds. He is very famous in Phat Diem. Since all of the land was basically a swamp, to build the heavy stone buildings he had long bamboo poles sunk into the ground up to 20 feet, one next to another. 
This is the statue of Mary and Jesus. We sometimes see images of Mary being old, but here shelooks no more than 16 or 17. Also, she is very fair skinned and has Asian eyes, looking very much the Vietnamese ideal woman.
This is one last picture of the fountain looking from the museum toward the cathedral. YOu can see the cathedral's room in the background. When you come to visit, we will take a relaxing walk in this garden. 
