Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, has become a place to preserve the cultural values of thousands of years of civilization. That’s why there are many different museums in this city. Their roles are to keep and introduce the historical and cultural values of various artifacts and the traditional professions that make up Vietnamese culture.
In this article, we choose the top 10 famous museums in Hanoi, which will provide an overview of the historical length of this beautiful country.
Now, let’s go!
1. Vietnam National Museum of History
Topping the list of the top 10 famous museums in Hanoi is the National Museum of History, established in 2011 by the government’s decision. The predecessors of this museum were the Vietnam History Museum and the Vietnam Revolution Museum, two of the earliest museums established in the country.
- The Vietnam History Museum was born in 1958, based on the results of inheriting the facilities from the Louis Finot Museum of the French Far East School, built in 1926.
- The Vietnam Revolution Museum was established in 1959 on the foundation of the Indochina Department of Commerce, which the French built in 1917.
Currently, the National History Museum has two facilities, including:
– Facility 1 at 01 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem District. This facility displays about 110,000 documents and antiques introducing the process of Vietnamese history from Prehistoric times to the end of the feudal Nguyen Dynasty in 1945. In particular, there are 20 national treasures here, including valuable relics from the Dong Son cultural period to the Tran, Le, Tay Son, Nguyen Dynasties, Champa culture, and pre-modern treasures.
– Facility 2 at 216 Tran Quang Khai, Hoan Kiem District. This facility displays over 80,000 documents and artifacts reflecting Vietnam’s history from the mid-twentieth century to the modern period.
In addition to the regular display area, the Museum also organizes thematic display activities. Depending on the time and specific historical events, thematic exhibitions will take place in different content and forms.
The National History Museum is a member of the International Association of Museums (ICOM), a founding member of the Association of National Museums of Asia (ANMA), One of three major archaeological research centers in Vietnam, and is the only agency in the country that conducts underwater archaeological activities.
Up to now, this museum is considered one of the largest museums in Vietnam, covering a variety of quantity and historical value of antiques stored and displayed here.
Address:
- 01 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
- 216 Tran Quang Khai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: Open from Tuesday to Sunday every week. Time:
- Morning: from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
- Afternoon: from 13:30 to 17:00
Ticket prices and other fees:
- Adults: 40,000 VND/time/person
- Children under 6 years old: Free ticket
The above ticket includes two exhibition areas at 01 Trang Tien and 216 Tran Quang Khai. In addition to the entrance ticket, you have to pay an additional fee if they want to take photos or film inside the museum. Specific fees:
- Taking pictures: 15,000 VND/1 camera
- Video recording: 30,000 VND/1 camera
2. Hanoi Museum
Established in 1982 by a decision of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Hanoi Museum, at that time, is headquartered at 05D Ham Long, Hoan Kiem District. In 2008, this museum merged with Ha Tay Museum and built a new facility on Pham Hung Street, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi. In 2010, the Hanoi Museum at its new facility officially opened to welcome visitors.
Hanoi Museum currently stores and displays more than 70,000 documents and antiques related to the thousand-year history of Thang Long Citadel and Hanoi. Among them, there are 05 antiques and groups on the list of National Treasures, including a blue-gray ceramic lampstand, Bat Trang Long Dinh, Thanh Mai bronze bell, Co Loa bronze drum, and a set of bronze plowshares in the Co Loa bronze drum, and Collection of weapons at Giang Vo school.
In addition, the museum often organizes short-term thematic exhibition activities in the garden, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors.
Coming to the Hanoi Museum, you will have a full view of the history of the formation and development of Vietnam’s capital city of thousands of years of civilization. The process goes from the beginning to the majestic Thang Long of the past and the brilliant Hanoi of today.
At the same time, you can also admire the architectural charm of the museum, which is in the top 36 most beautiful museums in the world (according to the assessment of Business Insider Magazine – USA in 2016).
Address: Pham Hung Street, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: Open from Tuesday to Sunday every week. Time:
- Morning: from 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM
- Afternoon: from 13:30 – 17:00
Ticket price: Until 2024, the entrance fee is free to visit. In addition, taking personal photos outside is free without permission. Particularly for professional photography activities inside need approval from the staff required.
3. Ho Chi Minh Museum
Opened to welcome visitors on May 19, 1990, Ho Chi Minh Museum is a project to celebrate the 100th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh. The museum is located right behind Uncle Ho’s mausoleum, so it is convenient for sightseeing activities and gives you a comprehensive view of the image, life, and career of the revered leader of Vietnam.
Recognized as the national museum level, Ho Chi Minh Museum displays over 2,000 documents and artifacts out of 17,000 objects that this unit has preserved.
These documents and artifacts are displayed on the 3rd floor of the building and arranged in the following major sections, including:
- Homeland area, and President Ho Chi Minh’s family
- Nghe Tinh Soviet movement area
- The region about Pac Bo revolution
- The exhibition about Vietnam fighting and winning 1946 – 1954
- Memorial section for President Ho Chi Minh
- The place about Vietnam fighting and winning 1954- 1975
These exhibition spaces are closely connected to each other to form a complete story about Ho Chi Minh’s life and career.
In addition, on the second floor of the museum is a place for thematic exhibitions associated with outstanding historical events of the year. The first floor is for souvenir stalls.
Address: 19 Ngoc Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Opening hours: Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, with timing:
- Morning: from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Afternoon: from 2:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Fare:
- 40,000 VND/1 international guest
- Free tickets for Vietnamese people
Note: When you want to film or take pictures, you must contact the Reception Organizing Staff for support and permission.
4. Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Part of the national museum system, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has been licensed by the government to invest in construction since 1995. In 1997, this site officially opened to welcome visitors and became a unit directly under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has three main exhibition areas, including:
– Bronze Drum Area: this area is located in a 2-story building with a display area of 2,000 square meters and has been in operation since 1997. Almost this region regularly displays artifacts, films, photos, research works, and recreated spaces about 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups. In addition, there is also space for temporary exhibition activities.
– Kite Area is a 4-story building with architecture simulating the image of a kite. This building first opened to visitors in 2013. This area shows artifacts about residents outside of Vietnam, mainly focusing on the people in Southeast Asia.
– The outdoor display area is also known as the Architecture Garden. This area is beautiful, with trees, lakes, and artificial streams. This space introduces 10 architectural styles of houses of Vietnamese ethnic groups, such as Cham, Bana, Ede, Tay, Dao, and Hmong.
Coming to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, you have a complete and comprehensive overview of the ethnic groups living together in the territory of Vietnam. In addition, you can research a basic understanding of Southeast Asia’s life.
Address: Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi
Opening hours: Open from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM every Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays and Lunar New Year.
Ticket prices and fees:
- Adults: 40,000 VND/person
- Children under 6 years old: free ticket
- Photography fee for personal camera: 50,000 VND/1 camera
- Photography fee for the professional camera: 500,000 VND/1 camera
5. Vietnam Fine Arts Museum
Directly managed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is a national one established in 1966. This exhibition has the role of researching, collecting, preserving, and introducing documents, artifacts, and typical artworks of Vietnam.
Currently, this attraction is displaying about 2,000 artifacts out of a total of 20,000 artifacts kept here. This large amount of artifacts is diverse in both material and type. It has become a complete representative of Vietnamese Fine Arts from Prehistoric times to the present.
The exhibition space is about 3,000 square meters, arranged into 6 main sections, including Prehistoric art and foundations; Fine arts from the 11th to the 19th centuries; Fine arts from the 20th century to the present; Traditional applied arts; Folk art; and Pottery collection (from the 11th to the 20th century).
In particular, here display 9 rare national treasures of paintings of Vietnam, such as Em Thuy by artist Tran Van Can, To Ngoc Van’s Two Young Women and Baby, and Binh Phong by Nguyen Gia Tri.
In addition to the exhibition space, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum also has a creative space for children. Therefore, this place is interesting and attracts many tourist families with young children to visit and experience.
Address: 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
Opening hours: From 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day of the week.
Fare:
- Adults: 40,000 VND/1 person
- Children from 6-16 years old: 10,000 VND/1 person
- Children under 6 years old: free
- Creative space experience program for children: 50,000 VND/child from 5-15 years old
6. Bat Trang Pottery Museum
About 14km south of Hanoi center, Bat Trang Pottery Museum is part of Bat Trang Pottery Village, in Bat Trang commune, Gia Lam district, Hanoi.
The first unique impression of this attraction is in the typical design of the buildings. On an area of 3,300 square meters, the project includes 7 spiral-shaped blocks, simulating the appearance of a turntable. They are connected together to create the impression of a giant ancient gourd furnace.
This place consists of 6 floors with different display and activity spaces, including:
- Floor G is a space for experiential pottery-making activities.
- The first floor is used as a reception space and ceramic stalls for tourists to buy as Vietnamese gifts.
- The 2nd floor displays ceramic works of the past and present, showing the process of developing Vietnamese ceramic art and culture.
- The 3rd floor is a space of contemporary art, including works of art and paintings by famous artists, including ceramic products.
- The 4th and 5th floors are spaces for visitors to rest, eat, and enjoy coffee and tea.
Visiting Bat Trang Pottery Museum, you can admire sophisticated ceramic works. Learn about the history and quintessence of Vietnamese ceramic art. Here, you can also directly experience making your own ceramic products.
Address: 28, Village 5, Bat Trang Street, Gia Lam District, Hanoi
Open time:
- From Monday to Friday: from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m
- Saturday, Sunday: from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m
Fare:
- Adults: 60,000 VND/person
- Children under 1m tall: free ticket
- Tickets to experience pottery-making activities: Children under 1m3: 50,000 VND/ticket
- Adults and children over 1m3: ticket 70,000/1 ticket
7. Vietnamese Women’s Museum
Open to visitors since 1995, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum undertakes the mission of preserving and introducing the images, values, and cultural heritage of Vietnamese women from history to modernity. From there, we aim to achieve gender equality and improve the advancement of women.
Currently, the museum is storing and displaying more than 40,000 documents. Its exhibition has 3 permanent sections under 3 themes: Women in the family, Women in history, Women’s fashion and Mother Goddess worship.
In addition to these three regular exhibition areas, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum also organizes many thematic exhibitions to reflect the development and changes in society. The major audiences of these events are women and children.
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum provides a vivid and complete view of the image of Vietnamese women through different generations and regions. Here, you will understand more about the lives and roles of mothers, sisters, and daughters in daily life. Their development goes through various periods, both in intelligence and their role in family and society.
Address: 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Opening hours: From 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day of the week
Fare:
- Adults: 40,000 VND/person
- Children under 6 years old: free
- Rental price of automatic guiding equipment: 40,000 VND/1 machine
8. Vietnam Museum of Nature
Belonging to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, the Vietnam Museum of Nature has opened to visitors since 2014. Although still new and the scale of the exhibition space is small, about 300m2, the number of specimens here is relatively diverse and rich in value.
About 1,400 specimens summarize the life history and Vietnamese nature over 3.6 billion years. These artifacts are arranged into 3 sections according to 3 themes, including the origin of life, life history, and life in the present time.
Many fossil samples from various periods are displayed here, such as typical fossils of four periods of geological development from the Precambrian period to the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras; Unique fossils such as the Fossil birds; Fossil Coral with four rays; etc.
Specimens of biological species represent Vietnam’s biodiversity, such as sets of insects, bugs, vertebrates, plants, fungi, marine creatures, etc.
This museum has become an interesting place for children and students, who are passionate about exploring and learning about science and the history of the formation and development of the earth and people.
Address: Building A20, No. 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi
Opening times: from Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Monday
- Morning: 08:30-11:30
- Afternoon: 13:30-16:30
Ticket price: Currently is free
9. Museum of Vietnamese Literature
Established by the decision of the Prime Minister, the Vietnam Literature Museum officially opened to welcome visitors in 2015. This attraction is one of the rare literary museums in the world. Its mission is to research, collect, preserve, display, and educate about Vietnamese literature.
This destination includes two main sections:
- Outdoor area: is decorated with ceramic reliefs, recreating the historical process of literature in Vietnam, and 20 statues of famous literary figures of the ancient and medieval periods.
- Indoor area: has a display area of more than 2,000 square meters, where tens of thousands of artifacts are stored, showing the development process of Vietnamese literature from the Ly Dynasty to the present.
All specimens are displayed on three indoor floors of the building:
- 1st floor: introducing Vietnamese literature of the ancient medieval period, lasting from the 10th to the 19th centuries. In addition, this floor also introduces study and exam activities in Vietnam in the 19th century.
- 2nd floor: introducing authors who won the Ho Chi Minh Prize for literature and art.
- 3rd floor: A place to honor writers who have won State awards and tell the congresses of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
In addition to the regular exhibition space, the Vietnam Museum of Literature also organizes thematic events to explore “Vietnamese rural cultural activities”.
If you want to study Vietnamese literature, this address is a great destination, creating favorable opportunities for literature lovers to come into contact with many valuable works in literary history.
Address: 20 Alley 275 Au Co Street, Tay Ho District, Hanoi
Opening hours: Open all days of the week
- Morning: from 8:00 PM to 12:00 PM
- Afternoon: from 13:30 to 17:00
Fare:
- Adults: 20,000 VND/person
- Children under 6 years old: free ticket
- Photography fee: 15,000 VND/1 camera
- For video cameras: 30,000 VND/1 camera
10. Vietnam Air Force and Air Defence Museum
Belonging to the system of the Vietnam National Museum, the Vietnam Air Force and Air Defence Museum officially came into operation in 2007. This place stores and displays artifacts showing the process of formation, fighting, victory, and growth of the Vietnam Air Force and Air Defense.
Its entire space is 19,200 square meters, which is divided into two main areas, including:
- Outdoor display: This region has an area of up to 16,000m2, used to display 102 large old objects representing 4 forces of the Air Defense – Air Force, including Anti-aircraft artillery, Plane, Radar, and Rocket. In particular, there is also a 37mm anti-aircraft gun on display, which has become a unique artifact recognized as a national treasure.
- Indoor display: In the 2-storey building with an area of 3,200 square meters, more than 3,000 artifacts, documents, and images of the Air Defense and Air Force are shown. These artifacts are under 8 major themes. These topics are grouped according to the process: formation, construction, development, fighting, victory, and the work of building and protecting the homeland and upgrading the Air Defense – Air Force to become more and more modern and astute.
The Vietnam Air Defense and Air Force Museum is an exciting place to visit countless artifacts and documents about the military. The museum is like a vivid movie, fully recreating the heroic struggle history of the Air Defense and Air Force in particular and the Vietnamese people in general.
Exploring this attraction in Hanoi, we will have a more authentic view of the Vietnam War, including the sacrifices and losses and the indomitable spirit of people.
Address: 173C Truong Chinh Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi
Open time:
- From Monday to Thursday: Morning from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM; Afternoon from 13:00 – 16:00
- Saturday, Sunday, and official holidays: Only the outdoor area opens from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
Sightseeing ticket price:
- Adults: 15,000 VND/1 ticket
- Foreign tourists: 30,000 VND/1 ticket
- Children under 6 years old: 2,000 VND/ticket (cleaning fee)
With the top 10 famous historical museums in Hanoi that we introduce, they can help you save time researching and choosing a suitable place to visit.
These addresses containing plenty of values will provide you with a complete view of the history and culture of Thang Long and Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general.
If you have a curious mind, love history, and like to explore and learn about forming a unique culture, please arrange a suitable time to visit these museums.
One important thing at most museums is to pay attention to the taking-picture fee. You should ask them in advance to avoid getting extra charge.
