Hanoi is a land of thousands of years of civilization with a strong heroic spirit, where there are plenty of museums that preserve historical and cultural vestiges of all times.
Each museum in Hanoi has its own color and characteristics, sketching a colorful picture of the landmarks and imprints of Vietnam.
With the list of 10 famous history museums in Hanoi below, you will surely discover a lot of interesting things with meaningful photos.
1. Hanoi Museum
- Address: Pham Hung Street, Me Tri Ward, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi
- Entrance ticket price: Free
Hanoi Museum is a work built on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the capital’s civilization, considered one of the most beautiful museums in Hanoi.
The first impression when entering the Hanoi museum is the unique structure of the building with an inverted pyramid shape, in which the 4th floor has the largest area and then gets smaller.
The first floor of the museum is the ceremony room, displaying a model of columns carved with dragons of the Ly dynasty (1009 – 1225) and documents and artifacts of the Ly – Tran – Le dynasties.
The 2nd floor is the display area of extremely vivid natural artifacts such as the turtle skeleton of Hoan Kiem Lake, the West Lake shrimp specimen, the photos of milk flowers, Bang Lang flowers in Hanoi, etc.
The 3rd floor displays ancient artifacts, such as bronze drums, copper coins, antique ceramic vases, ivory, dragon statues, stone turtle statues…
The last floor is where there are paintings and photos of the old and present Hanoi capital.
The museum building also includes 2 basements below. This place will take you on a journey to discover Hanoi from the founding of the country until now with 3 zones: Natural History of Hanoi; History of Hanoi from the starting of the country to before the August Revolution 1945, and the history of Hanoi from 1945 to the present.
2. Ho Chi Minh Museum
- Address: 19 Ngoc Ha, Doi Can, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
- Entrance ticket price: Free
Ho Chi Minh Museum is one of the major museums in Hanoi with an area of up to 18,000 m2, where many precious artifacts about President Ho Chi Minh are kept.
The museum was built in 1973 in the same area where Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence. This work has received the sincere help of the former Soviet Union from design to construction.
Ho Chi Minh Museum is built in a square block and beveled with two diagonal corners on the side. Overall, the design of the museum looks like a white lotus, exuding pure and ethereal beauty.
On the main exterior of the museum, there is a large bas-relief. The large relief that appears is the image of the Vietnam national flag, and the hammer and sickle intertwined, representing the ideology of independence and socialist background. This is the goal that the entire Party and people are aiming for to develop the country.
The first floor of the museum is to display artifacts and documents on Ho Chi Minh’s biography, outstanding revolutionary activities, and the construction of the country according to his will.
The 2nd floor is the place to display the typical fights and great victories of the Vietnamese army and people under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. The exhibits are expanded as a deeper step to understand the main themes of the first floor.
The 3rd floor displays thematically the historical landmarks of the Asian region and the world that have an impact on the thoughts and revolutionary activities of the young Nguyen Tat Thanh.
3. National Museum of History
- Address: 216 Tran Quang Khai Street, Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
- Entrance ticket price: 40,000 VND/pax
The National Museum of History was established based on a merger between the Vietnam History Museum and the Vietnam Revolution Museum.
This museum belongs to the national museum system of Vietnam that was established very early, with the beauty of oriental and western architecture.
The National Museum of History is the only museum in Vietnam that has the function of archaeological excavations. This work brings a big relic source to the National History Museum that is displayed in a scientific and effective way. So, when you want to join the excavating work in Vietnam, please contact this museum.
Currently, the National Museum of History is storing nearly 250,000 documents, artifacts, and collections of, especially rare and precious artifacts.
To date, 20 out of a total of 188 National Treasures have been recognized. Documents and artifacts about the Communist Party of Vietnam, about leader Ho Chi Minh, about the previous period, and about the events of the August Revolution 1945 have a special place at the museum.
4. Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
- Address: Nguyen Van Huyen, Quan Hoa, Cau Giay, Hanoi
- Entrance ticket price: 40,000 VND/pax
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology was formed in 1981 in Hanoi with an area of 3.27 hectares, like a miniature picture of the history and culture of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam.
This site is also one of the museums in Hanoi for children that many families choose to visit on weekends.
The museum is divided into three main exhibition areas: the Trong Dong building, outdoor area and Southeast Asia exhibition area.
Trong Dong Building has two spaces, one themed and constantly renewed exhibition space on the 2nd floor, while the first-floor space introduces the identity of 54 ethnic groups. There are 15,000 artifacts, 42,000 films and pictures depicting daily life, costumes, clothes, agricultural tools and religious beliefs as well as the customs of ethnic minorities.
The outdoor area is a place to simulate the unique architecture of the ethnic people such as the stilt house of Tay, Ede, H’Mong…
Located in the garden area, there is also a rice mill of Dao using the water stream to make white rice.
The Southeast Asia Gallery is a place to showcase Southeast Asian culture, Indonesian glass paintings, a glimpse of Asia and around the world.
There are also educational activities, halls, cinema rooms, multimedia rooms, which you can see cultural materials not only of Vietnam but also of ASEAN countries.
5. Vietnam Women’s Museum
- Address: 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hang Bai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- Ticket price: 30,000 VND/pax
Vietnam Women’s Museum is a place to store, display and reproduce symbolic images of Vietnamese women from ancient times to modern times.
Consisting of 4 floors with thousands of documents and artifacts, the Vietnam Women’s Museum took nearly 10 years to find and collect all over the country: from images to costumes, all are typical of Vietnamese women.
The first impression when entering the museum is the statue named “Vietnamese mother” dignified in the entrance hall.
The second floor of the museum is to display artifacts that were once associated with the life of Vietnamese women such as working tools, jewelry, etc.
The third floor is where the records and artifacts of the Vietnamese Women’s Union are kept during its years of operation, includes many artifacts that are gifts from international women to support the association’s activities.
The 4th floor is the place to introduce the costumes of Vietnamese women throughout the long history, besides information about 54 ethnic groups across the country.
In addition to the regular display system, the Museum also organizes many thematic exhibitions with a new approach, reflecting the development and change of contemporary society. Typically, there are plenty of projects that direct to many different target groups, specifically disadvantaged women and children.
6. Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum
- Address: 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Dien Ban Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
- Ticket price: 40,000vnd/pax
The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is considered as one of the national museums with an important position in preserving and promoting the treasure of the cultural and artistic heritage of the Vietnamese ethnic community.
The entire area of the museum is about 4,737 square meters, of which the display area is over 3,000 square meters.
There are more than 30 gallery rooms in the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, covering an abundance of artifacts with unique creative products, ethnic clothes with vibrant patterns, elaborately crafted bamboo, or Dong Ho folk paintings, and skillful crafted bronze, stone, and wooden statues… all of which together reflect the traditional quintessence of the nation.
The collections are introduced according to the historical process, different genres and material, in order to show typical values of art history periods, convenient for visitors to admire.
Over 2,000 artifacts are permanently displayed with the main themes: Prehistoric fine arts; Fine arts from the 11th to the 19th centuries; Fine arts from the 20th century to the present; Traditional applied arts; Folk art; Vietnamese art pottery from the 11th to the 20th centuries, including ceramic samples recovered from 5 ancient ships.
Besides the regular exhibition, the Museum has thematic space, children’s creative area, and food and beverage area.
7. Vietnam National Museum of Nature
- Address: 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi
- Ticket price: Free
The Vietnam Museum of Nature presents a panorama of Vietnam’s nature, the life of plants and animals over 3.6 billion years. This site is the ideal destination for those who love to explore nature, want to learn about the world, especially children.
Vietnam Museum of Nature has a national level that was inaugurated in 2004. With only an area of 300m2, but this place holds nearly 40,000 different specimens. The museum takes an important role to store the precious natural values of Vietnam.
Before entering the museum, you will be impressed by the large lifelike dinosaur right in front of the museum. Besides, the posters introduce the exhibited specimens that also stimulated the curiosity of visitors.
Stepping inside, you will have to burst with surprise and excitement with a vast world of flora and fauna full of different species, 40,000 artifacts including reptiles, mammals, insects, fungi, geological samples, etc. that are arranged by type.
The museum also takes advantage of every place to be able to share information and knowledge for visitors. On an eye-catching wooden wall, you will encounter an evolutionary tree diagram simulating the natural world with 5 main kinds: animals, plants, fungi, pre-human and protozoa. In addition, this place also displays fossils of primates.
Next to each exhibition area, there is a projection screen to help visitors better understand the evolution of flora and fauna.
8. Vietnam Military History Museum
- Address: 28A Dien Bien Phu, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.
- Entrance ticket price: 20,000 VND/pax
The Vietnam Military History Museum is not only a famous museum in Hanoi but also listed as one of the six national museums and the first military museum in Vietnam.
This place stores and displays about 150,000 artifacts of historical, cultural and military value, reflecting the context of the resistance wars against the invaders from the time of the Hung Kings to the time of President Ho Chi Minh.
The museum has an indoor and outdoor display system with an area of up to 3,200m2. Many typical artifacts can be mentioned, such as a bicycle in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, MiG19, MiG21 aircraft, Sam 2 and Sam 3 rockets in the campaign against the US imperialists, the bamboo poles or the tank that entered Saigon on April 30, 1975, are displayed in the center of the room.
In addition, the Museum has other exhibition tooms, such as rudimentary weapons made in Vietnam during the Liberation War (1945-1975); Truong Son Streets – Ho Chi Minh Road (1959-1975); Vietnamese Heroic Mothers; supports of the world to Vietnam resistance war, and outdoor display system.
9. Air Force and Air Defense Museum
- Address: 173C Truong Chinh, Khuong Mai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi
- Ticket price: 15,000 VND/pax
Air Force and Air Defense Museum is ranked 2nd in the system of Vietnam National Museums. It is a place to store images, documents and artifacts that demonstrate the process of birth, construction, fighting, growth and victory of the Air Defense and Air Force of Vietnam.
The outdoor section covers an area of over 15,000 m2 with 101 block artifacts, is a unique collection of weapons and artifacts about 4 forces of the PK-KQ army: Anti-aircraft artillery, Aircraft, Missiles, Radar.
These weapons made many outstanding feats: The 37mm cannon of To Vinh Dien battery participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign; the journey of the US-made 90mm cannon participated in winning the first battle on August 5, 1964; Aircraft MIG21 shot down plane B52 on the night of December 27, 1972…
The indoor area displays more than 3,000 artifacts and images that have recreated the heroic history of the Air Defense and Air Force.
Each artifact and image is a legend about the outstanding feats of the Air Defense and Air Force in the two resistance wars against France and the US. The heroic feats of defeating the professional air force of a country with modern science and technology are still attractive to many domestic and foreign visitors.
10. Vietnam Arms Museum
- Address: 22 Alley 157 Duc Giang, Thuong Thanh, Long Bien, Hanoi
- Entrance ticket price: Free
Vietnam Arms Museum has a space of 10,000m2 with a 3-storey exhibition building. There are hundreds of weapons among more than 5,000 original artifacts, including many weapons collections of great historical value, testifying the process of formation and development of Vietnamese weapon technology.
Typically, you can see the model of An Duong Vuong’s magic crossbow in the legend of My Chau – Trong Thuy legendry.
Bows, arrows, spears, wooden stakes covered with stones, catapults, cannons and the means of war elephants, war horses, warships… were used by the Vietnamese to make glorious feats like the war in the Bach Dang River victory in 938 of Ngo Quyen, the victory of the Chi of Le Loi (1427)…; and modern weapons created by the Vietnamese army and people in the two resistance wars against the French (1945 – 1954) and against the US (1954 – 1975).
In addition, the museum also displays modern weapons equipped by the former Soviet Union for the Vietnam People’s Army, which brought great effect, such as AK47 rifles, RP6-7 anti-tank guns, T54 tanks, multi-purpose transport aircraft MI-8, MI-24, AN-2, fighter aircraft MG-21…
Range your time to visit the great historical museums in Hanoi, learn more about the history and the process of development in Vietnam. With the list of museums in Hanoi above, hope you will have really interesting and meaningful experiences.