Introduction

The National History Museum, the most famous museum in Hanoi, preserves a part of the nation’s heroic history. When visitors visit the museum, they want to travel back in time, witness and learn more about the country’s history.

It is a large museum and today tops the list of social and Vietnamese history museums. In addition to the function of preservation and conservation, the museum also has the function of archaeological excavation, scientific research, inventory, exhibition, introduction and promotion of the value of artifacts and documents related to the historical process of Vietnam.

Currently, the museum preserves and preserves more than 200,000 documents and artifacts from the history of Vietnamese culture from prehistory to 1945, of which about 20 artifacts and documents are considered national treasures.

What’s so special about the museum?

At the National Museum of History, visitors will have extremely interesting experiences.

Here, you’ll see exhibits that hold artifacts of the nation’s heroic wars against France and the United States.

This place displays more than 100 valuable artifacts and gifts that the Vietnamese people and the world send to President Ho Chi Minh and the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The National Museum of History wears a luxurious vest of classical architecture. Outside, visitors are greeted by a comfortable and spacious space decorated with fresh greenery.

If you are a photography enthusiast, you can stand at the front door before entering the museum to take some photos with the elegant museum grounds.

Inside, visitors will see the museum divided into various areas. For example, Trang Tien Campus No. 1 will have a prehistoric area of Vietnam, Dong Son cultural area, Oc Eo – Phu Nam area… And each area will be displayed with many ancient artifacts, each of which will be placed in a display cabinet with sufficient light conditions for visitors to see easily.

To make your visit to the National Museum of History more enjoyable, you can contact the museum in advance if you need a tour guide. Your guide will help you understand the artifacts and the stories behind them.

In the museum there is a souvenir booth specializing in selling very special publications, if you want you can stop to see, the items here will definitely help you choose many gifts for this friend

Places not to be missed

Hoa Lo Prison 

Hoa Lo Prison is the ruins of the “Hilton Hanoi" – where American soldiers were imprisoned during the Vietnam War. It documents the experiences of prisoners of the Vietnam War, from the martyrs of the Vietnamese Revolution to American prisoners of war. The artifacts on display at Hoa Lo Prison make anyone who comes here shudder. Here you can see French guillotines, cold rooms, John McCain flight suits and parachutes, and much more

General Information:

Entrance fee: 30,000 VND (1 USD)/person (50% discount for students…)

Opening Hours: Daily | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (including holidays and Tet)

Address: No. 1 Hoa Lo Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Vietnam Fine Arts Museum – Museum in Hanoi on art

One of the best museums in Hanoi that makes the art world very famous is the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. It is housed in a beautiful French-style building that was often used by the French Ministry of Information in the past. The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is a treasure trove of art and religion, from tradition to modernity to the present. Sadly, not many people know about this museum in Hanoi, except for students or artists, although the ticket price is quite low compared to the quality of the works on display.

This museum in Hanoi is organized in chronological order to help viewers understand Vietnamese art history in a more systematic and simple way. One of the most important points in the museum is Guanyin’s superhuman figure – Guanyin, who has 1000 hands and 1000 compassionate eyes. The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum is extremely large with works from all eras. This makes it difficult to visit all the museums in Hanoi in one day.

General Information:

Entrance fee: 30,000 VND (1 USD)/person

Opening Hours: Daily | 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Address: No. 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

Vietnamese Women’s Museum – Hanoi Museum of Culture

Although you have visited many museums around the world, you will also be impressed by the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. This museum in Hanoi is like a jewel in the heart of the capital, where many unique costumes are displayed with many historical and cultural traces of many ethnic minorities in Vietnam. In addition, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum shapes the role of women in the war and delves into the topic of family life in ancient Vietnam – a topic that has been forgotten. The exhibition “Heroic Vietnamese Mothers" on the top floor of the museum to commemorate the women who lost their children during the war years shocked everyone who came here.

General Information:

Entrance fee: 30,000 VND (1 USD)/person

Opening Hours: Daily | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Address: No. 36 Ly Thuong Kiet, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Vietnam National Museum of History

This museum in Hanoi is the best place to explore the panorama of Vietnam’s history over thousands of years. If you have impressed other museums in terms of content, the National Museum of History of Vietnam will make you fall in love not only with the content, but also with the “cool" landscapes and collections on the most beautiful building in Hanoi.

General Information:

Entrance fee: 40,000 VND (1 USD) per person (50% discount for seniors, veterans, etc.)

Opening Hours: Daily | 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (first 2nd free day of the month)

Address: No. 216 Tran Quang Khai Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh

The Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh is one of Hanoi’s most special museums, where those who visit it have a strange yet fascinating experience that has never been seen before. The Mausoleum of the President is where you can visit Uncle Ho in person, with about 1 hour in the museum to learn more about his life and legacy.

Most of what’s in the president’s tomb will give you exactly the information you’d expect about your uncle’s life, such as a chronological account of his life, an exhibition of military accomplishments, or a giant gilded sculpture of your uncle. However, the rest of the Presidential Mausoleum will surprise you with the interweaving of several art installations from the 1970s inspired by postmodernism, Pop Art, and Soviet social realism. It is not difficult to see that the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh is a museum in Hanoi that is both of great significance and preserves a lot of valuable and interesting information.

General Information:

Admission: 40,000 VND (1 USD)/person

Opening Hours:

2nd and 6th place | 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Other days: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Address: Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh, One Pillar Pagoda, Doi Can, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology – A museum in Hanoi that contains Vietnamese culture

In this museum in Hanoi, you will learn all about Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities. The capital of Hanoi has changed drastically in the past 20 years, from houses, streets to old shops. Therefore, it is not easy to clearly identify the typical cultural characteristics of 54 ethnic groups. However, at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, everyone can easily see and come into contact with the religious rituals, culture, and daily lifestyles of many different ethnic groups. Although it is about a 20-minute drive from the center, this is still a museum in Hanoi that cannot be missed.

General Information:

Entrance fee: 40,000 VND (1 USD)/person (free for children under 6 years old)

Opening Hours: Daily | 8:30am-5:30pm (except Mondays and Lunar New Year)

Address: Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Nghia Do, Cau Giay District, Hanoi

In conclusion

Visiting Hanoi’s historical museums provides foreigners with a rich tapestry on Vietnam’s cultural heritage and historical past. Scattered throughout the city, these museums serve as windows into Vietnam’s fascinating history, from ancient dynasties to modern independence struggles.

One of the most important museums is the National Museum of History of Vietnam, located near the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. Here, visitors can explore artifacts from different eras, including relics from the Dong Son culture and Cham civilization. The museum provides a comprehensive overview of Vietnam’s development over the centuries, highlighting its resilience and cultural diversity.

Overall, exploring Hanoi’s history museums helps foreigners gain a deeper understanding of Hanoi’s rich history, cultural heritage, and long-standing spirit of resilience and independence. These museums educate but also inspire visitors to appreciate Vietnam’s journey through the centuries.

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