Never let it be said that when there's a will, mountains cannot move. One of the main reasons for this jaunt to D.C. was to see an exhibit on Viet Nam, and that's about all the information we had. As we walked around the Air & Space Museum of the Smithsonian, we asked several staff people about this exhibit, and all we managed to get were blank stares.

It was getting quite cold and overcast, and parking was atrocious; we headed for the main building, called the Smithsonian Castle, which should be the starting point of any visit to this incredible compendium of displays. Yes, we got our answer, and we were thrilled! Except, it entailed some more walking to something called the "Ripley" . At first sight, it’s hard to tell if you are going into a museum or a fancy newspaper kiosk in Paris. Where the hell is the building? Go inside, and you’ll see the elevator going down. Yes, it’s all underground, and it even has halls which connect to the Sackler Gallery and the Museum of African Art .

As we arrived, it was not obvious that anything was going on, Viet Nam-wise or otherwise. As we began to walk, a gigantic road sign greeted us on the left with the words "Little Saigon". Please bear in mind that we had been to Viet Nam twice, and we both had a tremendous appreciation of the culture. Seeing this exhibit felt like closing an open-ended loop. Everything we saw was familiar, and yet we learned even more than we thought we could.

The lay out: both sides of the corridor contain a history of the South Viet Namese plight after 1975. Maps designate various camps, which provided temporary housing; sound bytes written by those that escaped, revealing their hopes, fears, despair. Off the wall displays included their national dish, pho, that we know and love so much. A typical refugee shelter is recreated with notes. Menus of area restaurants stand proud; testimonial videos are heard.

Toward the end of the exhibit are the life size images of famous Viet Namese Americans; the only one I recognized was Joy Chen, since I used to watch her on CNN. Below, I’ve copied the writing on the walls for you:

"We came to America not for material gain, but for freedom"

"We can never go back to our happy homes of the past…We can only go forward to build a new beginning."

"Our boat was made of bamboo and with 30 others, we sailed out to sea. Some of us died of thirst, some of starvation. "

"Throughout the green tent city, the sound of weeping was my refugee camp lullaby. "

"Of all my titles, I am most proud of being Vietnamese American. "

If you're in Washington, DC, do NOT miss the Smithsonian Institution - which must surely be one of the world's greatest cultural treasures. You'll need at least two days to sample the 15-odd musuems sprawled around the gracious National Mall. There's something for everyone, whether you need the dinosaur bones and kid-friendly interactive displays at the Natural History museum or want to get a taste of space, with the Appollo lunar module and a chance to walk around inside SkyLab at the National air and space museum.

The Smithsonian's museums are easily accessible by subway (hop off at the Smithsonian stop on the blue and orange lines) althoug you'll need a bit of stamina to walk between them. As with all major attractions in Washington since 9/11, security is tight and you'll have to go through a security process at each location. This can be tiresome, especially in winter with all the trappings of coats, boots, brollies etc but a smile (and no jokes) is the smoothest way through.

Most of the Smithsonian's museums are open from 10am to 5:30pm, and best of all, entry is free. For more information, log on to www.si.edu or call (202)633 1000.

Unfortunately, the Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum were closed for renovation when we visited, but there are plenty of other choices. The African Art Museum is an absolute must-see.

The only disappointment for us was the newly opened American Indian museum. Perhaps they haven't finished stocking it yet, but we found this architectually exciting building almost empty and uninspiring. Spend your time elsewhere - especially if you have kids.

One other word of advice - plan ahead if you want to eat! While the Smithsonian boasts more than 140 million artefacts, we found a decent feed hard to find. Your best bet is the food court in the Natural History museum, where quantities are large and sugar content is relatively low. Go for soup and salad. If your kids will only eat pizza, buy one serving - they're about the size of roof tiles and will easily satisfy two to three little kids' appetites (and it's only a few metres' walk to the dinosaur afterwards...).

Great. An absolute must-see. If you don't, you're missing out on a bunch. The exhibits are super. Just make sure that you are ready to deal with the bag checks. Hey...it's for all of our safety.

A great way to spend a day, and it's free! There are great exhibits featuring dinosaurs, etc. There is an Imax theater inside the museum. There's also a nice restaurant.

America's Museum

The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum complex and research organization. The Institute is composed of 14 museums and The National Zoo in the DC Area, and two museums in NYC.

A Break Down

The Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture has collections, studies, and exhibitions of African American history and culture.

The Arts and Industries Building has special changing exhibitions and Discovery Theater (for the kids).

The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery holds Asian and a specialized collection of American art.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden houses Modern and contemporary art.

The National Air and Space Museum contains history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight.

The National Museum of African Art houses collections, research, and exhibitions of African art.

The National Museum of American History, Behring Center exhibits the history of science, technology, society, and culture in America.

The National Zoological Park is home to 3,600 animals from 475 species in a 163-acre biological park.

The National Postal Museum is an interactive museum of postal history and philately.

The National Museum of Natural History houses artifacts of nature.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery are now both open after renovation! Thank you M. Nunnelly!

Dining with History

The Air and Space Museum, the American History Museum, the Arts and Industries building, the Natural History Museum, the National Zoo, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden all contain food service.

On the Mall

In pleasant weather, a picnic on the grassy, tree-lined National Mall can add to your day's enjoyment. You should bring your own provisions or you can purchase a variety of fast foods from street vendors or from National Park Service refreshment stands.

Oh, and don’t forget...

Nine of the 14 Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., span and area from 4th to 14th Streets between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue, that's approximately 4/5 miles! Because you are going to do a lot of walking between and within museums, plan to wear comfortable clothing and shoes!

More information about the Smithsonian Institute can be found at their website!

http://www.si.edu/