LIST OF 10 BEST MUSEUMS IN HỒ CHÍ MINH CITY

Sài Gòn is more than just markets and street food. It is home to Việt Nam’s most visited museums. If you have a few “slow” days, let have a look at our list of 10 fascinating museums which are bound to make you fall in love with the city’s culture and people. Be it exhibitions displaying historical artifacts, memories of war, or modern art, these museums are the absolute best in town.

1. War Remnants Museum
2. Hồ Chí Minh City Museum
3. Southern Wowen’s Museum
4. Hồ Chí Minh City History Museum
5. Vietnamese Áo Dài Museum
6. Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine and Pharmacy
7. Hồ Chí Minh City Fine Arts Museum
8. Artinus 3D Arts Museum
9. The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre
10. Geological Museum

WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Chứng Tích Chiến Tranh
Opening hours: 07:30a.m. – 04:30p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: 40,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 28 Võ Văn Tần Street, District 3, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3930 5587
Website: www.baotangchungtichchientranh.vn

War Remnants Museum is a must-see attraction for most visitors, was founded on September 4, 1975. It was first named “Exhibition House for U.S. and Puppet Crimes”. In 1990, the name was changed to “Exhibition House for Crimes of War and Aggression”. In 1995, a week before an announcement by the U.S. President, Bill Clinton, for the normalization of diplomatic relations, the name was changed to War Remnants Museum, as we all know it now.

The museum primarily deals with the American War, but the French-colonial period and conflicts with China are also documented. US armored vehicles, artillery pieces, bombs and infantry weapons are on display outside. One corner of the grounds is devoted to the notorious French and South Vietnamese prisons on Phú Quốc and Côn Sơn islands. Artifacts include that most iconic of French appliances, the guillotine, and the notoriously inhumane ‘tiger cages’ used to house war prisoners.

HỒ CHÍ MINH CITY MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh
Opening hours: 07:30a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: 30,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 65 Lý Tự Trọng Street, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3829 9741
Website: www.hcmc-museum.edu.vn

Built around 1885, this elegant yet understated building has been called, at various times, the French High Commissioner’s Office, Gia Long Palace, the Supreme Court, the Revolutionary Museum and finally the Museum of Hồ Chí Minh City. It contains a photographic record of the Revolution in Việt Nam, beginning with the French and ending with the Americans. There is also a display of archaeological relics.

The exhibits consist of a dull account of the city’s recent economic development and a more interesting account of the revolutionary struggle. There are also some uninformative cultural pieces. The grounds feature the usual array of former U.S. military hardware.

SOUTHERN WOMEN’S MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Phụ Nữ Nam Bộ
Opening hours: 07:30a.m. – 11:30a.m. & 01:30p.m. – 05:00p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: Free
Address: 202 Võ Thị Sáu Street, District 3, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3932 0322
Website: www.baotangphunu.com

Dedicated to Vietnamese women, the Women’s Museum in Saigon has exhibitions covering three floors and focuses on ethnic dress, jewellery and women’s struggles. The museum is well laid out with signs in English and there is a tour showcasing the invaluable contributions of women to the fight for Việt Nam independence.

The Women’s Museum was established in 1985 as a locus for cultural and educational activities, traditional meetings, scientific talks and cultural exchanges for women. The museum display areas are divided into 10 rooms. Each room illustrates the tradition of national construction and defense of Southern Women.

HỒ CHÍ MINH CITY HISTORY MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Lịch Sử Việt Nam
Opening Hours: 08:00a.m. – 11:30a.m. & 01:00p.m. – 05:00p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: 30,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 02 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Street, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3829 8146
Website: www.baotanglichsutphcm.com.vn

Built in 1929, this notable Sino-French museum houses a rewarding collection of artifacts illustrating the evolution of the cultures of Việt Nam, from the Bronze Age Đông Sơn civilization (which emerged in 2000 BCE) and the Funan civilization (1st to 6th centuries CE) to the Cham, Khmer and Vietnamese. Highlights include valuable relics taken from Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and a fine collection of Buddha statues. There’s good English information. Parts of the museum are being renovated.

The collection and presentation has improved considerably in recent years – though contextual explanations are limited. Visitors tend to leave confused and wondering who the Cham were and what happened to them, and the Khmer connection.

There are some impressive pieces of Buddhist and Hindu sculpture – including some pieces from the Angkor temples in Cambodia, presumably pilfered by the French in the colonial era.

VIETNAMESE ÁO DÀI MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Áo Dài Việt Nam
Opening Hours: 08:30a.m. – 05:30p.m. (closed on Monday)
Entrance Fee: 100,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 206/19/30 Long Thuận Street, District 9, HCMC
Tel: 0914 726 948 – 0914 912 982
Website: www.baotangaodaivietnam.com

Vietnamese Áo Dài Museum was designed by fashion designer Sỹ Hoàng. It opened in 2014 and is one of a few private museums in Hồ Chí Minh City. The oblong exhibit, 200 square meters wide with a double tiled roof, displays approximately 150 Áo Dài designs. It carries a brief written history of the dress and also features the dresses worn by famous Vietnamese women who’ve made great political and social contributions to the country in the 20th Century.

It is located in a 20,000 square meters space. It specializes in display, research, collect, photographs and artifacts of Áo Dài in Việt Nam from the beginning and the associated history of national construction and defense of Vietnamese women in the military, diplomatic, cultural, educational, and art fields.

MUSEUM OF TRADITIONAL VIETNAMESE MEDICINE AND PHARMACY (FITO)
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Y Học Cổ Truyển Việt Nam
Opening Hours: 08:30a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Closed on Monday)
Entrance Fee: 120,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 41 Hoàng Dư Khương Street, District 10, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3864 2430 / (028) 3862 7812
Website: www.fitomuseum.com.vn

A unique blend of traditional and modern architecture, the museum includes one ground floor and five upper floors that are home to 18 exhibition rooms.

You may see a delicately carved wooden picture with different captions that illustrate different types of traditional medicine. This was a place where over a 50 skillful engravers have worked hard to complete these carved pictures for nearly 3 years.

The architecture of this museum shows the typical features of traditional architecture in different regions of Việt Nam. It reflects many features of the Northern house in the basin of Red River, of the Hue style and some of the Cham ethnic minority group styles. In the Cham tower are exhibited some Linga – a ritual sculptures which represent a power, a diligence and a vital force in the Cham religion.

This museum is equipped with modern audio-visual technology, which regularly shows “A Century of Health Care Experiences” – a documentary film about the history of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine.

HỒ CHÍ MINH CITY FINE ARTS MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Mỹ Thuật Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh
Opening Hours: 08:00a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: 30,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 97A Phó Đức Chính Street, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3829 4441
Website: www.baotangmythuattphcm.com.vn

The Fine Arts Museum of Hồ Chí Minh City is set inside an exquisite French colonial villa. The first floor hosts rotating exhibits of contemporary art and the second floor features sketches, paintings and statues, many of which focus on resistance to colonial rulers. The third floor shows older works from Việt Nam’s history. Check out the antique working elevator that slowly glides its way up the floors.

The Museum is also home to many valuable Cham, Indian and Khmer artifacts that were created between the 7th and 17th centuries. Also on display are works from famous foreign artists and handicrafts created by Vietnam’s ethnic groups. Established in September 1987 by the Hồ Chí Minh City People’s Committee, the Fine Arts Museum’s building was once a centre of commerce.

ARTINUS 3D ARTS MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Tranh 3D Artinus
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Friday (09:00a.m. – 06:00p.m) & Saturday – Sunday (09:00a.m. – 09:00p.m.). (Closed on Monday)
Entrance Fee: Tuesday – Friday (170,000VND/Ticket) & Saturday – Sunday (220,000VND/Ticket)
Address: 02-04 No. 9 Street, Tân Hưng Ward, District 7, HCMC
Tel: (028) 6298 3767 / 039 742 7882
Website: www.art3d.online

Built in 2015, the 4,000-square-metre museum houses hundreds of 3D paintings created by Korean artists use distance, shadows, multi-directional painting techniques, refraction and reflections to create optical illusions. More importantly, you’ll be able to get very interesting photographs for your next Facebook profile picture right here.

The museum is a visual treat. Even if you’re not there to take pictures, just viewing the artworks can be quite mind blowing. You will definitely spend hours doing silly poses and having lots of fun. If you have kids, this will be one of the best places in the city to bring them to.

THE FACTORY CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTRE
Vietnamese Name: Trung Tâm Nghệ Thuật Đương Đại The Factory
Opening Hours: 10:00a.m. – 07:00p.m. (Closed Monday & Tuesday)
Entrance Fee: 80,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 15 Nguyễn Ư Dĩ Street, District 2, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3744 2589
Website: www.factoryartscentre.com

The Factory Contemporary Arts Centre is the first purpose-built space for contemporary art in Việt Nam. As an independent organization, it is a ‘factory’ of critical ideas; a site of constant physical transformation; a network of people who strive to speak about tangible and intangible cultural memories that matter and are indelibly unique.

Established in 2016 by artist Tia-Thuy Nguyen, The Factory aims to be a dynamic destination for art, designing innovative programs illustrating the creative criticality of Việt Nam today. With significant gallery space in which to experiment and a dedicated Arts Department with international curatorial expertise, all programs of curate exhibitions, workshops, live arts, talks and film screenings is driven by the needs of our local community, particularly committed to assisting artists in their search for resource, visibility and support.

GEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
Vietnamese Name: Bảo Tàng Địa Chất
Opening Hours: 08:00a.m. – 04:30p.m (Closed Sarturday & Sunday)
Entrance Fee: Free
Address: 02 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (028) 3836 7660

Hồ Chí Minh City’s Museum of Geology is a bridge that tangibly connects with the present a past that goes back more than a billion years. The museum was built in 1970; it displays only 3,000 of the 13,000 items it has dating back to millions of years ago.

You should go to the Geological Museum if you are a mineral nerd. You should go if you appreciate the soothing sound of footsteps on Vietnamese modernist stairwells. You should go because, for all its flaws, the museum is unflinchingly earnest, welcoming, kind, a little strange and filled with unspecified history.