I found the military museum at 11:00, half an hour before lunch time, I thought time was plentiful, that I still had half an hour before lunch. But lunch at Hanoi is longer than what is written on the sign. At exactly 11:01, the staffs are already in a great hurry to close down the indoor exhibits. I lingered on, to their greatest annoyance.

Lunch time is the holiest moment in Life of Hanoi. Trespassing the lunch time of a Hanoian could be as serious as trespassing the tomb of their ancestors.
So I quietly wander around the outdoor exhibits. The wreckage artwork is one of the best propaganda artwork in the world. Mangled pieces of American planes twisted into an artful masterpiece. So much bombs, missiles and bullets, yet Hanoi survived like an immortal mosquito.

Only if the Americans had leaned the secret, that if they had invaded Vietnam during Lunch time, they could have easily won the Vietnam War. Nobody does a damn thing during lunch time, I could have captured Hanoi at Lunch time and nobody would care.
I walked around, photographed everything, nobody bother to kick me out, lunch is too important to be disturbed, or maybe they thought I was a high level military officer, either way, my time in the museum is quite fulfilling.

I think most people are here to enjoy the air con

The country I was born in are known for the best road crosser in the world, we can cross almost any road anywhere, legally or illegally.

I've travelled to many continents, numerous countries, for me, no road is uncrossable. But in Hanoi, I finally met my challenge.

This six million people city is crowded with four million mopeds, not those sissy, docile as a lamb kind of moped, but the ferocious, kill your m*****-f***** kind. They give new meaning to all terrain. They show up on roads, alleys, pavement, markets, shopping malls and even your bedroom. Nowhere is safe in Hanoi.

Every road you cross is a gamble to death. Until you master the skill of road crossing, you shall forever stuck on one side of the road. But fear not, it is not as complicated as you think. The road conditions can be divided into three stages:

Stage 1: green light of walking death trap
This stage happens when the green people light is solidly green. In any place of the world, it means safe road crossing, but in Vietnam, it is the best time for those killer moped to prey on innocent tourists. Crossing on this stage can be deadly.

Stage 2: flashing green light of imminent death
This stage begins when the little green walking people start flashing. That's the time all those killer moped roar their engines and jump on the slow walkers. Crossing at this stage will cause imminent death.

Stage 3: red light of ugly death
This stage starts before the walking people turns red. Crossing at this stage can result at a more ugly death than any road kill you ever see.

In short, crossing at any stage is a sure path to death. A master swordsman understands no matter how skillful they are, they will eventually die under the sword, there isn't any safe battle in the world. Same goes for a master road crosser. As long as you signed a will and buy a big insurance, you shall be ready to cross the road. Your life is not in your hand. Understand that death is but a return to the land of before born. If you can master these mindsets, crossing the road at any stage is an opportunities to the new land of the other side.