Hanoi’s newest museum opened in 2010 as part of the city’s 1000th birthday celebrations. In architectural terms this is far and away the country’s most ambitious museum project. The inverted pyramid design is visually striking and is surprisingly functional. It seems to have been inspired by some of the more flamboyant modern creations in Beijing and Shanghai and was designed by German architects GMP.

Focused on the history of Hanoi and Vietnam, for now at least, the collection is poor and not worth the effort and cost of making the half hour journey from downtown Hanoi. Much of the collection is unidentified or poorly captioned.

The massive investment in this building might have been better spent on improving the curatorial quality of the city’s existing museums. There are plans to improve the collection and the information. This can’t happen quickly enough.

In the meantime, the building has the architectural world talking.

Address: Pham Hung street, Tu Liem district, Hanoi
Opening hours: Everyday except for Monday from 8:00-11:30 and from 13:30-17:00
Entrance fee: free

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is both a research centre and a public museum exhibiting the ethnic groups of Vietnam. The mission of the Museum is scientific research, collection, documentation, conservation, exhibition and preserving the cultural and historic patrimony of the nation’s different ethnic groups. The museum also serves to guide research, conservation, and technology that are specific to the work of an ethnographic museum.

In its planning for the future, the Museum intends to present the cultures and civilisations of other countries of South-East Asia as well as in the region.

Establishment
Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country, which is composed of 54 ethnic groups. Perceiving the importance of having an ethnographic museum to preserve and present the cultural heritages of ethnic groups, the Government decided to establish a museum of ethnology in Hanoi. The Proposal for the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology was officially approved on December 14, 1987. Land was allocated for construction: in 1987, 2,500m2 and in 1988, 9,500m2. Then, in 1990, the Prime Minister decided to allocate the entire 3,27 acres of land to the Museum.

During construction (1987 to 1995), the Project Managing Board and the Museum Department were a part of the Institute of Ethnology. On October 24, 1995, the Prime Minister made the decision on establishment of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, under National Centre for Social Sciences and Humanities. On November 12, 1997, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology inaugurated its permanent exhibition and officially opened to the public.

The Museum is located in a large open area on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District, about 8 km from the city centre. This area used to be paddy field of the local people. During the construction of the Museum, all of the infrastructure was built, including the 700m road from Hoang Quoc Viet Street to the entrance of the Museum. (In the near future, this road will reach the Daewoo Hotel, which is situated between Cau Giay and Lieu Giai Streets)

The Vietnamese Government first invested in the Museum in 1986 and construction of the foundation began in late 1989. According to the proposal, the total budget for construction was 27 billion of Vietnamese dong (US$ 1.9 million), not including 4 billion dong (US$ 285,000) for collecting and exhibiting the artefacts.
The exhibition building of the Museum was designed by the architect Ha Duc Linh, a Tay minority, who works for the Living Houses and Public Works Building Company, Ministry of Construction. The interior architecture was done by Mrs. Veronique Dollfus, a French architect.

The Museum is divided into two parts: an indoor and an outdoor exhibition. The indoor part is composed of the exhibition building, office, research centre, library, storage, technical lab and auditorium. These offices cover 2,480m2, including 750 m2 for storage of artefacts. The outdoor exhibition, which will be accomplished in the first years of the 21st century, is to highlight different types of houses in all parts of Vietnam. Pathways link the indoor and outdoor exhibitions with each other.

Since its inauguration on the occasion of the 7th Summit of Francophony in Hanoi, give date the Museum receives about 60,000 visitors annually.

What is new at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology?
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is a valuable centre for the exhibition and the preservation of cultural heritages of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. To date, the Museum has collected 15,000 artefacts, 2,190 slides, 42,000 photographs, 237 audiotapes, 373 videotapes and 25 CD-ROMs. It is also a centre for ethnographic research employing many experts on the different ethnic groups. People come to the Museum just not to visit or entertain, but also to learn about these ethnic groups, their cultural diversity and the uniqueness of each group and region, as well as traditional values throughout the Vietnamese country. For this reason, national and international visitors, children and students, professionals and non-professionals are attracted to the Museum.

The artefacts of the Museum are not only priceless antiquities, but many are everyday objects, such as knives, baskets, garments, flutes, pipes and mats. These objects reflect tangible and intangible cultural heritages of the communities, representing lives and creative activities of the people. Thus, artefacts of the Museum are so varied that they are organised into different collections. The Museum has 54 collections of each individual ethnic group. Functionally classified, there are collections of clothing, jewellery, of agricultural tools, fishing instruments, weapons, household utensils and musical instruments. In addition, there are collections of artefacts related to the various religions, beliefs, wedding ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and other social and spiritual activities. Based on the specific collections, the Museum organises exhibitions and publishes books and catalogues in different formats in order to meet the needs of various audiences of different backgrounds.

The two-floor building, which is inspired by the Vietnamese famous and ancient bronze drum, holds the permanent collection. A granite bridge leads from the main gate to the entrance of the exhibition, creating a feeling of going up to a house-on-stilts which is very popular in many areas of Vietnam. On entering the Museum, the granite floor is decorated with dark tiles arranged in the shape of an S. This decoration symbolises the shape of the Vietnamese coastline, the earth is in dark colour and the ocean is light grey.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has been designed to reflect the country’s technical and scientific progress as well as the Museum’s objectives. First of all, the Museum was created for everybody. This is reflected in both the architecture and the display techniques. The Museum has ramps for physically challenged people and an electric elevator allowing access to the second floor. All steps have handrails that are very comfortable for older people. Learning from the experiences of many museums in the world, the museum texts are not in capital letters but small letters so that it is easy for people of different ages to read them. Panels are presented at reasonable heights, for both adults and children. In addition to objects, there are photographs, texts, videos and many reference materials, all of which can be brought into full play to inform visitors with different levels of education and different needs.

The objects are displayed as centrepieces because they reflect the everyday lives of the people. The Museum’s consistent point of view is that the display should be simple, so that visitors can admire the beauty and finesse of each ordinary and simple item. Although there are no illustrative paintings in the Museum, photographs and videos are used to illustrate people’s lives.

A restricted number of 700 objects and 280 photographs are displayed in the Museum’s permanent exhibits, which helps visitors avoid being distracted by an over-representation of artefacts.
The different collections are displayed according to language groups and territories. Most of the objects presented in the 97 showcases are original. The showcases have either one-sided windows or four-sided windows, depending on the artefacts presented. For example, some cases present many artefacts; others have only one significant object. Among the showcases in the display, 50 cases are accompanied by texts. Each object has a label denoting its name, the ethnic group and the place where it was created. There are also mannequins, maps, graphs, hardcover books, photographs, videotapes, cassette tapes, models, and 33 section panels. Though the Museum is not large, dioramas highlight certain customs or cultural features of ethnic groups.

Adding to the many layers of information available to visitors, the museum provides hundreds of panels composed of explanations, illustrative photographs and maps. Unfortunately, because of limited space, the texts are condensed. Not only do the texts and the object labels serve a national audience, they are also translated into English and French in order to facilitate international visitors. Thus, visitors experiencing the museum, even without a tour guide, are able to understand the main messages of the displays.

New technical solutions have been used throughout the Museum, such as focused lights. The light radiates inside and outside the glass windows focusing on the most significant aspect of each object in order to set off its beauty and draw visitors’ attention. In addition, a ventilation system has been installed within each display area to protect the objects from mould and decay.

The outdoor exhibition area is only large enough for the most popular architectural styles to be represented. Already presented are the Ede long house, the Tay stilt house, the Yao house half on stilts, half on earth, the Hmong house whose roof is made of pomu wood, the Viet house with tile roof and the Giarai tomb. There are future plans to present the Bahnar communal house, the Cham traditional house and the Hanhi house made with beaten walls. Between the houses, there are trees indigenous to the area of each house, zigzagging paths and a meandering stream crossed by small bridges. The outdoor museum is being realised step by step.

The Border Guard Museum (Bao Tang Bien Phong) at 2 Pho Tran Hung Dao is dedicated to those friendly boys in uniform you encountered at the airport or border crossing. Theoretically, it’s open 8 to 11 am Monday to Saturday, but it’s often shut; entry is free. See Central Hanoi map.

Military History Museum is located at No. 28A Dien Bien Phu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. It was formerly the French expeditionary barracks and covers 10,000m2 divided into 30 showrooms. It was founded on December 22nd, 1958.

The content of the museum covers 6 periods:
-The history of the Vietnamese nation and the birth of the Vietnam People’s Army.
-The Vietnamese struggle against French colonialism.
-The Vietnamese struggle against American imperialists.
-The Vietnam People’s Army on the path to a regular modern army.
-The People and the Army are oneness – they will be invincible.
- Piece of weaponry displayed in the museum courtyard (airplanes, tanks, heavy artilleries, rockets, mortars, bombs, etc.

The Military History Museum is the concentrated embodiment of the spirit of the Vietnamese people. Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom. Entry price is 10,000VND. Visiting hours: From 8:00 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 16:00 all days.

The delightful house at 87 Pho Ma May, north of Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter, is definitely worth visiting. This thoughtfully restored, traditional Chinese-style dwelling is sparsely decorated, and gives an excellent idea of how local merchants used to live in the Old Quarter. The restoration of the house was carried out in cooperation with the city of Toulouse, France, and completed in October, 1999. While there are many such houses open to the public in Hoi An, there is little, if anything, else like it in Hanoi.

The house is open from Monday to Friday from 9 to 11.30 am and 2 to 5 pm; entry costs 3000d (US$0.25).

There is another less interesting Memorial House two blocks west of here at48 Pho Hang Ngang. This one was where Ho Chi Minh is said to have drafted Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence in 1945. It was closed at the time of writing, but may be reopened as a museum in the future.

The Fine Arts Museum (Bao Tang My Thuat) is housed ill the former French Ministry of Information. Here you can see some very intricate sculptures, paintings, lacquer ware, ceramics and other traditional Vietnamese fine arts. Some reproductions of antiques are on sale here, but be sure to ask for a certificate to clear these goods through customs when you leave Vietnam.

The Fine Arts Museum is at 66 Pho Nguyen Thai Ho (on the corner with Pho Cao Ba Quai), across the street from the back wall or the Temple of’ Literature; see the Central Hanoi map, It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8 am until noon and 1 to 4 pm; entry costs 10,00d (US$0,80).

The exhibition system is divided into 5 parts:
- Fine arts of Prehistory: Consist of the objects from the Bronze Age and Iron Age.
- Ancient fine arts from the 11th to the 19th centuries: Consists of the objects of Ly, Tran, Le, Mac, Tay Son, and Nguyen Dynasties.
- Fine arts in the 20th century: Contemplate times fine arts (1925-1945) and modern fine arts (1945 up to now).
- Folk painting.

The excellent Women’s Museum (Bao Tang Phu Nu) at 36 Pho Ly Thuong Kiet gets good reviews from travellers. There’s the inevitable tribute to women soldiers, but, fortunately, there’s much more than that. On the 4th floor you can see different costumes worn by the 54 minority groups in Vietnam. This is one place where many of the exhibits have English explanations.

The museum is open from 8 am to 4 pm daily, and entrance costs 10,000d (US$0.80). See the Central Hanoi map.

The exhibits are displayed on an area of 1,200 m2 on two-storey building; the museum organized around five main themes:
- Vietnamese women in Vietnamese community.
- The involvement of Vietnamese women in the fight for national independence and national construction.
- The Vietnamese Women’s Association and its struggle to liberate women.
- The culture of Vietnamese women expresses through traditional handicraft products.
- Women costumes of the 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups.

The Revolutionary Museum (Bao Tang Cach Mang), at 25 Pho Tong Dan, creatively presents the history of the Vietnamese Revolution. It’s near the History Museum, see the Central Hanoi map.

It established in August 1959, It has been designed into 29 showrooms, containing more than thousands of historical exhibits.

30 years of struggle against the invaders and protecting the National independence and unifying the country from 1945 to 1975 (from the 10th to the 24th showroom). Developing the economy from 1976 up to now. The collections of Vietnam Economy from 1975 to 2000 are displayed in the room No. 26, No. 27. The present collections of the Vietnamese people and of the people in the world offered President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam Communist Party (room No. 28 and No. 29). Especially, the Revolution Museum has a store with thousand of precious objects and documents of the Vietnamese revolution from 1858 up to now.

The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 8 to 11.30 am and 1 to 4 pm, and Saturday mornings. Admission costs 10,000d (US$0.80).

The History Museum (BaoTang Lich Su), once the museum of the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient, is one block east of the Municipal Theatre at 1 Pho Pharn Ngu Lao (Central Hanoi map). This elegant, ochrecoloured structure was the brainchild of French architect Ernest Hebrard and was built between 1925 and 1932. Hebrard was among the first in Vietnam to incorporate a blend of Chinese and French design elements in his creations, and this particular building remains one of Hanoi’s most stunning architectural showpieces.

Exhibits include artefacts from Vietnam’s turbulent past including: prehistory (Palacolithic and Neolithic periods); proto Vietnamese civilizations (1st and 2nd millennia BC); the Dong Son culture (3rd cent lily BC to 3rd century AD); the Oc-Eo (Funan) culture of the Mekong Delta (1st to 6th century AD); the Kingdom of Champa (2nd to 15th century); the Khmer kingdoms; various Vietnamese dynasties and their resistance to Chinese attempts at domination; the struggle against the French; and the history of the Communist Party. The museum is open Friday to Wednesday from 8.15 to 11.45 am and 1.30 to 5 pm; entry is 10.000d (US$0.80).

The Army Museum (Bao Tang Quan Doi), on Pho Dien Bien Phu, is open daily. Outside, Soviet and Chinese weaponry supplied to the North are displayed alongside French and US-made weapons captured in the Franco-Vier Minh and American wars. The centrepiece is a Soviet-built MiG-21 jet fighter, triumphant amid the wreckage of French-aircraft downed at Dien Bien Phu, and a US F-111. The displays include scale models of various epic battles from the long military history of Vietnam, including Dien Bien Phu and the capture of Saigon. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 8 to 11.30 am and 1.30 to 4.30 pm; entry is 10,000d (US$0.80).

Next to the Army Museum is the hexagonal Flag Tower, which has become one of the symbols of Hanoi. See Central Hanoi map.

President Ho Chi Minh – Vietnamese hero of national liberation and great man of culture. He devoted his whole life to the national of the Vietnamses people, contributing to the common struggle of peoples for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.

After he passed away on September 2nd 1969, in compliance with the Vietnamese people’s aspiration, the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Politburo decided to build the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

On November 25th 1970, the Board in charge of building the Ho Chi Minh Museum was set up in order to prepare comprehensively for the construction.

After 20 years of preparing and building, the Ho Chi Minh Museum was inaugurated on September 2nd 1990, on the occasion of the 100th birthday of the President.

Ho Chi Minh Museum has more than 120,000 decuments, objects and films about President Ho Chi Minh’s life and revolutionary work. They are invaluable assets of the Vietnamese people in educating patriotism, studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought and moral quallties; and encouraging the Vietnamese generations to succeed failthfully and excellently his great revolutionary work.

Since its opening, the museum has welcomed millions of domestic and foreign visitors. It is open from 8 am to 11 am and 1.30pm to 4.30 pm daily except Monday and Friday. Photography is forbidden. Cameras and bags must be left at the reception. Entrance ticket costs 6000d (US$0.45).

This is one or the larger museums in the country and, though seldom visited by foreigners, it’s very worthwhile if you are a war history or aircraft buff.

The Air Force Museum (Bao Tang Khong Quan) has many or its exhibits outdoors. This includes a number of Soviet-built MiG fighters, reconnaissance planes, helicopters and anti-aircraft equipment. Inside the museum hall are other weapons, including mortars, machine guns and some US-made bombs (hopefully defused). There is a partially truncated MiG with a ladder – you can climb up into the cockpit and have your photo taken. The museum has other war memorabilia, including paintings of obvious Soviet design and portraits of Ho Chi Minh.

The Air Force Museum, on D Truong Chinh in the Dong Da District (fur southwest – see the Central Hanoi map), is open daily from 8 to 11 am and 1 to 5 pm. Entry costs 5000d (US$0.40).

This provocative site , at 1 Pho Hoa Lo on the corner with Pho Hai Ba Trung, is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by US POWs during the American War. Those incarcerated at Hoa Lo included Pete Peterson, who would later become the first US Ambassador to Vietnam following the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1995.

The vast prison complex itself was built by the French in 1896. Originally intended to house around 450 inmates, records indicate that by the 1930s there were close to 2000 prisoners inside! The prison was recently razed to the ground to make room for a modern skyscraper, though the building at the front of the site has been thoughtfully preserved and restored as a museum (look for the sign over the gate reading’ Maison Centrale’). There are some English and French labels corresponding with the displays, and you may be able to find an English-speaking guide on site.

The bulk of the exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France. Notable tools of torture on display in the dark chambers include an ominous French guillotine which was used to behead Vietnamese revolutionaries during the colonial period.

There are also mug shots on display of Americans and Vietnamese who served time at Hoa Lo. Propaganda photos of cheerful looking American prisoners (showing how well the Vietnamese hosts treated their guests) are shown with a placard reading:

From August 5, t964 to January 24, 1973, US government carried out two destruction wars by air and navy against Northern Vietnam. The Northern Army and people brought down thousands of aircrafts and captured hundreds of American pilots. Part of these pilots was detained in Hoa Lo Prison by our Ministry of Interior. Though having committed untold crimes on our people, but American pilots suffered no revenge once they were captured and detained. Instead they were well treated with adequate food, clothing and shelter, According to the provisions of Paris Agreement; our government had in March 1973 returned all captured pilots to the US government.

The museum is open from 8 to 11 am and 1 and 4 pm; entry is 10,000d (US$0.80).

The Geology Museum (Bao Tang Dia Chat) tells the story of the geologic processes that created such breathtaking spots as Halong Ray; however, most of the explanations are in Vietnamese.

It’s located at 6 Pho Pham Ngu Lao (see Central Hanoi map), and is open from 8 am to noon and 1.30 to 4.30pm from Monday to Saturday; but don’t be surprised if it’s closed during ‘opening hours’; entry is free.