See a costume from all 54 of Vietnam's ethnic groups, free
Some of these are no longer made
Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, 26 Phan Boi Chau, just east of the old town. Free, open 8am to 8pm.
Why it's unique
Rehahn spent years travelling to all 54 officially recognised ethnic groups in Vietnam, photographing people and collecting clothing. The museum holds an authentic traditional costume from every one of them, shown beside the portraits.
Some of the garments are no longer made by anybody. That is the part that turns a photography gallery into a record: it is not a representative selection, it is a complete one, and completeness is what makes it impossible to assemble again.
And it is free, which the rubric treats as raising the value rather than lowering it. No commercial travel site has a reason to send anyone here.
Before you go
Read the labels rather than looking at the photographs. Each costume is captioned with where it was found and who wore it, and several note that the group has stopped weaving.
It is genuinely free. No ticket, and it does not use a tab of the old town strip.
Open 8am to 8pm, which makes it the right place to be in the early afternoon, when the old town is at its hottest and least pleasant.