THE 10 BEST MUSEUMS IN VIỆT NAM
Việt Nam is a great place to visit and there are some popular museums which make people understand the history and culture of the country. There are various museums such as fine arts museum or the ethnology museum along with war remnants museum which make it an interesting place to visit. So, get the best views of the historical artifacts and materials once you visit this place. Here are some of the great museums that you shouldn’t miss in your visit to this beautiful country.
- Việt Nam Museum of Ethnology, Hà Nội
- Viêt Nam National Fine Arts Museum, Hà Nội
- Việt Nam National Museum of History, Hà Nội
- Quảng Ninh Museum, Hạ Long
- War Remnants Museum, Hồ Chí Minh City
- Museum of Chăm Sculpture, Đà Nẵng
- National Oceanographic Museum of Việt Nam, Nha Trang
- The World of Coffee Museum, Buôn Ma Thuột
- Huế Royal Museum of Antiquities, Huế City
- Hội An Museum, Hội An Ancient Town
Việt Nam Museum of Ethnology, Hà Nội
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Dân Tộc Học Việt Nam
Opening hours: 08:30a.m. – 05:30p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entrance Fee: 40,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 01 Nguyễn Văn Huyên Street, Cầu Giấy District, Hà Nội City.
Tel: (024) 3756 2193
Website: www.vme.org.vn
Việt Nam Museum of Ethnology in Hà Nội offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Việt Nam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity within the country.
Visitors are welcome to browse some of the vast research on offer at this public museum which is also a centre for ethnographic research.
The museum is packed full of information detailing traditional Vietnamese ways of life, from religious events to the symbolic rituals of all the Vietnamese ethnic groups, providing a rich tapestry of the culture melting pot existing in Việt Nam. The exhibition hall features everyday objects representing each group, a research centre, library and auditorium.
The outdoor display area exhibits a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas, with great attention paid to the varying architectural styles set within the authentic and tranquil gardens. In addition, there are also leisure pursuits on display including traditional water puppet theatre and calligraphy. The future aim of the museum is to also showcase the many cultural practices and civilizations across Southeast Asia.
Viêt Nam National Fine Arts Museum, Hà Nội
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Mỹ Thuật Việt Nam
Opening hours: 08:30a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Except Tết Holidays)
Entrance Fee: 40,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, Ba Đình District, Hà Nội City.
Tel: 1800 6576 – (024) 3733 2131
Website: www.vnfam.vn
The Việt Nam National Fine Arts Museum is one of the nation’s most important institutions of culture and learning. It’s beautifully arranged galleries house a unique collection of art treasures dating from every era of national life, from early prehistory and classical antiquity through to the epic story of Vietnamese creative genius in the modern age. The Museum’s mission is to preserve, display and inform, building on a keen commitment to research and conservation, and to the sharing of all there is to learn and appreciate about the enduring artistic heritage of the Vietnamese people.
The museum shows approximately 2,000 objects in the permanent exhibition galleries. The objects on display have increased in terms of quantity as well as quality; the exhibition is presented logically and attractively; text panels are clearly written; the lighting system is sufficiently equipped, all adapted to the need of a modern museum and of visitors.
Việt Nam National Museum of History, Hà Nội
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Lịch Sử Quốc Gia
Opening hours: 08:00a.m. – 12:00p.m. & 01:30p.m. – 05:00p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entrance Fee: 40,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 01 Tràng Tiền Street, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội City.
Tel: (024)3825 2853
Website: www.baotanglichsu.vn
Built between 1925 and 1932, this architecturally impressive museum was formerly home to the École Française d’Extrême-Orient. Its architect, Ernest Hebrard, was among the first in Việt Nam to incorporate a blend of Chinese and French design elements. Exhibit highlights include bronzes from the Đông Sơn culture (3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE), Hindu statuary from the Khmer and Champa kingdoms, jewellery from imperial Việt Nam, and displays relating to the French occupation and the Communist Party. The audio guide is free.
The former Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution across the road at 216 Trần Quang Khải Street is now part of the National Museum of Vietnamese History. The 40,000 exhibits enthusiastically present the histories of conflict and revolution within Việt Nam, from the liberation movements against the French occupation to the establishment of the Communist Party and the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam.
Quảng Ninh Museum, Hạ Long
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Quảng Ninh
Opening hours: 08:00a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Closed on Mondays)
Entrance Fee: 30,000VND/Ticket
Address: Trần Quốc Nghiễn Street, Hồng Hải Ward, Hạ Long City.
Tel: (020) 3382 3045 / 3382 5031
Website: www.baotangquangninh.vn
Designed by a Spanish architect, Salvador Perez Arroyo, Quảng Ninh Museum is located on an area of nearly 24,000 square meters with unique architecture, charming space and plenty of valuable artifacts. The project has a total investment of over VND 900 billion, including 3 blocks connected together by an overhead bridge system.
Inspired by the iconic coal, a typical mineral of Quảng Ninh Province, the work is a symbol on the most beautiful coastal road in Hạ Long City. Especially, the building is assembled with 14,000 square meters of glasses that can be resistant to temperature changes. Thanks to bold architecture, the building is like a giant mirror reflecting the image of the world natural heritage Hạ Long Bay.
War Remnants Museum, Hồ Chí Minh City
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.
Museum of Chăm Sculpture, Đà Nẵng
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Điêu Khắc Chăm Đà Nẵng
Opening hours: 07:00a.m. – 05:00p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: 60,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 02 Hai Tháng Chín Street, Đà Nẵng City
Tel: (0236) 3574 801 /3572 935
Website: www.chammuseum.vn
The Chăm Museum in Đà Nẵng is the largest collection of Chăm sculpture and artwork in the world. Whenever visiting the museum, you still perceive an individual atmosphere particular to this place, the reverie of reminiscences.
Situated in a quiet area of Đà Nẵng City, Chăm Museum was built in 1915 according to the motifs of ancient Chăm Architecture. At first it was named the Henry Parmenties Museum. The museum is officially known as the Museum of Champa Sculpture. The kingdom of Champa (or Lin-yi in Chinese records) controlled what is now south and central Việt Nam from approximately 192 through 1697.
The empire began to decline in the late 15th century, became a Vietnamese vassal state in 1697, and was finally dissolved in 1832. At present, the museum houses 297 stone and terracotta sculptural works made between the 7th and the 15th centuries. These are impressive works typical of the Chăm culture.
National Oceanographic Museum of Việt Nam, Nha Trang
Vietnamese name: Viện Hải Dương Học
Opening hours: 06:00a.m. – 06:00p.m. (Daily)
Entrance Fee: 40,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 01 Cầu Đá Street, Nha Trang City.
Tel: (0258) 3590 036 / 3590 032
Website: www.vnio.org.vn
The National Oceanographic Museum was built in 1922. Though it is now a little run-down, this is the place where you can find a lot of interesting things and items to enrich your knowledge about marine life. Over its long history, the museum has collected up to 60.000 jars of specimens.
Apart from the aquariums with a lot of living sea animals like seahorses and colorful reef species, you also can see stuffed sea mammals and ocean related artifacts. These displays mainly focus on providing environmental education with good English descriptions. Besides, there are quite a few sharks living in the cement pond in the middle.
Officially opened to the public for almost 100 years, the museum is still a popular destination attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists who are fans of the underwater world and want to get an exact image of the marine environment in Nha Trang.
The World of Coffee Museum, Buôn Ma Thuột
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Thế Giới Cà Phê
Opening hours: 08:00a.m. – 07:00p.m.
Entrance Fee: 75,000VND/Ticket.
Address: Nguyễn Đình Chiểu Street, Buôn Ma Thuộc City.
Tel: 0899 355 368
Website: www.baotangthegioicaphe.com
Located on the campus of the coffee city project in Buôn Ma Thuột city in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, the World Coffee Museum is 45 hectares large and promises to be an ideal destination for coffee lovers from both inside the country and from abroad.
Designed with the typical architecture of “Nhà Dài” (a long house on stilts) of the ethnic minority people in the central highlands, the museum also helps visitors learn about the rich local culture.
Objects exhibited have been collected from all around the world, with over 10,000 relating to coffee from a number of coffee cultures around the world through various periods that belong to the Jens Burg Coffee Museum, a popular tourist attraction in Hamburg, Germany.
Huế Royal Museum of Antiquities, Huế City
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Cổ Vật Cung Đình Huế
Opening hours: 07:00a.m. – 05:00p.m.
Entrance Fee: 150,000VND/Ticket.
Address: 03 Lê Trực Street, Huế City.
Tel: (0234) 3524 429
Website: www.baotangcungdinh.vn
Huế Museum of Royal Antiquities covers an area of more than 6,000m². The main showroom of the museum was Long An Palace reconstructed in 1909 as the library of Quốc Tự Giám (National Academy).
This work has the architectural style “Trùng Thiềm Điệp Óc” (sloping successive roofs), a unique palace architecture of Huế. The interior and exterior of the palace are decorated artistically, magnificently and exquisitely.
Since 1923, Long An Palace has been used as a showroom of more than 10,000 antiquities, mainly served daily lives, rituals, beliefs and defence of Nguyễn Dynasty (1802 – 1945). Besides, there are gifts, merchandises from foreign and trade relations between Nguyễn Dynasty and other countries, typically Chinese ceramic and enamelled bronze, French ceramic and bronze. Huế Museum of Royal Antiquities also stores more than 80 Cham objects found in the areas of Ô and Lý (now Quang Tri and Thừa Thiên Huế provinces) and Trà Kiệu (Quãng Nam Province).
Hội An Museum, Hội An Ancient Town
Vietnamese name: Bảo Tàng Hội An
Opening hours: 07:00a.m. – 05:00p.m.
Entrance Fee: 80,000VND/Ticket
Address: 10B Trần Hưng Đạo, Hội An City.
Tel: (0510)3862 367 / 3862 946
Website: www.hoianmuseum.com
Hội An Museum located on an area about 800 square meters for displaying 880 documents and artifacts in total. The collection is distributed in four exhibition spaces: History and Culture, Revolutionary History, Ascent from hardship and Art Gallery.
The exhibition of History and Culture: displays 335 documents and artifacts, introduces the geography, history and culture of Hội An through 3 periods: The pre-proto history period, The Champa period and The Đại Việt – Đại Nam period.
The exhibition of Revolutionary History: displays 377 documents and artifacts, reflects the fight of Hội An citizens in the anti- American and French resistance wars.
The exhibition of Hội An ascent from hardship: displays 130 documents and artifacts, presents daily and social activities of Hội An people during hardship period after liberation 1975.
Art Gallery: displays 38 paintings by 18 artists, portrays the natural sceneries and daily life in Hội An.