An important part of all Asian culture is the element of sports that serve as invigorating exercise and as a form of competition. Across the street from the popular Ethnological Museum, you’ll find Nghia Do Park, which includes Nghia Do Lake. At this park, you’ll find people playing a wide variety of sports, such as badminton and a variation on soccer called ‘net-soccer’, which is a sort of soccer played with a tennis net. You can also find dancers moving in traditional styles and playing indigenous, Vietnamese musical instruments, such as tangos and pasos. They also play music with loudspeakers, and, far from being avert to visitors watching them dance, they’ll often offer to teach spectators the steps.
A word of warning, though, the Nghia Do Lake isn’t really all that big, and some visitors say it’s more of a pond. Nghia Do Park is great for many things, but if you’re planning a fishing or boating trip, this might not be the best spot.