Top 10 Most Captivating Museums in Hanoi

Established according to Decision No. 1674/QĐ-TTg dated 09/26/2011 by the Prime Minister of Vietnam on the basis of merging the Vietnam History Museum and the Vietnamese Revolution Museum; The National Museum of History is a cultural facility located in the central area of Hanoi, close to many sacred sites of the capital such as Turtle Tower - Hoan Kiem Lake; The Huc Bridge - Ngoc Son Temple - Pen Tower... The museum preserves, displays, and introduces the history of Vietnam from prehistoric times to the present day through an extremely vast and valuable collection of documents and artifacts, including many national treasures. The National Museum of History currently holds and preserves about 200,000 artifacts, documents of Vietnam's history and culture, of which the period of Vietnam's history from prehistoric times to 1945 has nearly 110,000 documents, artifacts and 20 national treasures; including many rare collections that are among the top in the country and the region such as: collections of artifacts from ancient cultures from the Stone Age to the early Bronze and Iron Age; Dong Son culture; Ancient Vietnamese ceramics; Nguyen Dynasty artifacts; Cham stone sculptures; Foreign decorative arts from China, Japan, India and countries in Southeast Asia... The period of Vietnam's history from the mid-19th century to the present has about 80,000 documents, artifacts on the history of the Vietnamese revolution, on the Communist Party of Vietnam, on President Ho Chi Minh and the leading comrades of the Communist Party of Vietnam through different periods.

The National Museum of History maintains two permanent exhibition systems at 2 bases: No. 1 Trang Tien - Hanoi, exhibiting the history of Vietnam from prehistoric times to the end of the Nguyen dynasty (1945); at base No. 216 Tran Quang Khai - Hanoi, exhibiting the history of Vietnam from the mid-20th century to the present. With the attention of the Party and Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in the near future, the National Museum of History will be built as a modern, advanced facility, meeting the needs of a large-scale modern museum at the Tay Ho Tay urban area, Hanoi. This project has been launched for many years and is currently being implemented. The National Museum of History is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), a founding member of the Association of National Museums of Asia (ANMA), regularly exchanging professional experiences, implementing cooperation programs, expanding exchanges with nearly 30 museums in the region and internationally. In 2013, the National Museum of History had the honor of hosting and chairing the 4th ANMA Conference (held in Hanoi in October 2013). The National Museum of History has been honored to receive many prestigious awards from the Party and the State, including: 1 Ho Chi Minh Medal, 3 Independence Medals, 5 Labor Medals... When visiting the National Museum of History, visitors will have many interesting experiences, understanding more about the long-standing history and the heroic struggle tradition in the process of building and defending the country of the Vietnamese people.

Address: No. 214 Tran Quang Khai and No. 1 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.

The Vietnam Military History Museum is one of the national museums and stands at the forefront of the Military Museum system, currently preserving and displaying over 15,000 documents and artifacts, including many unique collections and 4 National Treasures, such as MiG-21 aircraft with serial numbers 4324 and 5121, the Determination Map of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, and tank T-54B with serial number 843. The museum is located at 28A Dien Bien Phu Street, Dien Bien Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, opposite Lenin Park. According to the decree No. 65/SL-TN, dated November 23, 1945, by President Ho Chi Minh “On the preservation of cultural heritage”, during the period of 1945 - 1954, the Ministry of National Defense directed agencies and units to focus on collecting, preserving documents, images, artifacts. Based on that, at the end of 1954, the Central Military Commission (now the Central Military Commission) directed the construction of the Military Museum.

The Construction Board of the Military Museum includes 13 people with the task of “Research and collect historical documents, artifacts belonging to the military; proceed to collect, arrange documents, artifacts systematically; organize the preservation of historical documents, artifacts, and coordinate with localities to guide the preservation of historical relics of the military in localities; study plans and implement presentations, organization of the Military Museum”. Immediately after its establishment, the Construction Board of the Military Museum began drafting documents on preservation work, museums to help the Political General Department direct the entire army to collect documents, artifacts for both building the unit's tradition room and contributing artifacts to the Museum. With the urgent spirit of work, under the close guidance of the Head of the Political General Department, after more than 3 years of construction and display, on December 21, 1959, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam People's Army (December 22, 1944 - December 22, 1959), the Military Museum officially opened to serve visitors. After completing the construction mission and opening the museum, the Construction Board of the Military Museum was transformed into the Museum Department under the Propaganda Department/Political General Department with the task of “Receiving, guiding visitors, protecting, preserving artifacts, treasures, minor repairs to the display system”.

Address: 28A Dien Bien Phu, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

The Hanoi Museum, formerly located at 5B Ham Long Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, is a place that showcases and introduces the capital city of Hanoi from its founding to the present day. Established in 1982, the museum's collection includes tens of thousands of artifacts, with over 7,000 rare and precious items. The museum's collection includes stone, bronze, and ceramic artifacts from the Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen dynasties, as well as ceramics from China and Japan. The museum's exhibition areas are divided into three sections: Hanoi's natural history; Hanoi's history from its founding to before the August Revolution; Hanoi's history from after the August Revolution of 1945 to the present.

To commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, a new project Hanoi Museum has been implemented with a significant investment. The new Hanoi Museum is located in the construction area of the National Convention Center of Vietnam in Me Tri Ward, Nam Tu Liem District, designed in the shape of an inverted pyramid, with the largest area on the 4th floor and gradually decreasing on the lower floors. Designed by the joint venture of GMP - ILAG (Germany), it is built on a total area of ​​about 54,000 m², 30.7 meters high. The project consists of 4 above-ground floors and 2 basement floors; with a construction area of ​​approximately 12,000 m², a floor area of ​​over 30,000 m² (including basement and roof floors). The museum was inaugurated on October 6, 2010. An estimated 50,000 artifacts are displayed here.

Address: Pham Hung Street, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi.

The Vietnam Women's Museum is located at 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hang Bai Ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, near the center of Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. This museum is dedicated to Vietnamese women. It has been open to the public since 1995 and underwent regular exhibition system renovations from 2006 to 2010 to honor Vietnamese women. In addition to the regular exhibition system, the museum also organizes many thematic exhibitions with a new approach of social anthropology, reflecting the development and changes of contemporary society through projects targeting various groups, especially disadvantaged women and children.

The Vietnam Women's Museum was established in 1987, under the Vietnam Women's Union, with the function of researching, preserving, and displaying tangible and intangible heritage related to the history and culture of Vietnamese women. Since its inauguration in 1995, the Vietnam Women's Museum has successfully held numerous exhibitions serving hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors each year. The museum has also developed a collection of over 25,000 artifacts related to Vietnamese women. At the end of 2010, the Vietnam Women's Museum reopened its regular exhibition system after 4 years of closure for upgrading and adjustment, with 3 themes: women in the family, women in history, and women's fashion. The main building of the museum is divided into four areas including regular exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, discovery rooms, and souvenir shops. Thematic exhibitions are organized near the main building area.

Address: 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiếm District, Hanoi.

Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts is among the most important museums in preserving the cultural and artistic heritage of the Vietnamese community. Located at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Dien Bien Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, it stands opposite to the back of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam. This building (the museum) was constructed by the French in the 1930s as a boarding school for the daughters of French officials from across Indochina to study in Hanoi. In 1962, the Vietnamese government entrusted the Ministry of Culture to renovate the building from its Western architectural appearance, adding architectural details of Vietnamese communal houses to make it a permanent venue for displaying Vietnamese artistic works. In 1966, the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts was officially inaugurated with a ground area of 4200 m² and a display area of 1200 m², and from 1997 to 1999, it was expanded to a total area of 4737 m² and a display area of 3000 m².

Some famous Vietnamese artists with their works displayed here include Nguyen Gia Tri, To Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can, Nguyen Phan Chanh, Luong Xuan Nhi... Many exhibited works at Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts are replicas because the originals have been sold or lost. According to Nora Taylor, a Vietnam art expert at the Art Institute of Chicago, about half of the paintings are replicas. During the Vietnam War, many original paintings were evacuated and replicas were displayed, but after the war, many originals were not returned to their original locations. Currently, the Inventory and Conservation Department is managing nearly 20,000 artifacts, representative artworks of Vietnamese art from prehistoric to contemporary times. Among them are 9 national treasures preserved here. Compared to many renowned museums worldwide, the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts remains modest and youthful. Out of over 20,000 artifacts, only about 2200 carefully selected ones are regularly exhibited, while the rest are stored and preserved in storage warehouses.

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

Ho Chi Minh Museum is one of Vietnam's largest museums. It primarily focuses on exhibiting artifacts and materials related to the life and people of Ho Chi Minh. Situated in an area with many historical sites such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace Historic Site, One Pillar Pagoda, it forms a cluster of attractions that attract visitors both domestic and international. The museum is located at 19 Ngoc Ha Street, Doi Can Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, behind Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and adjacent to Bach Thao Park. The Ho Chi Minh Museum was built in 1973 in the very area where He read the Declaration of Independence, and this project received sincere assistance from the former Soviet Union from design to construction. The 3-story building has a unique square shape with chamfered corners, and in the middle of the entrance is a relief sculpture of a flag leaf with a star and the symbols of hammer and sickle, representing the spirit of the national liberation revolution. Surrounding the museum grounds is a spacious and airy space with many trees, including an artificial lake to regulate the air.

Entering the museum's lobby, there is a large bronze statue of President Ho Chi Minh, exuding the charismatic demeanor that impresses visitors. The museum is displayed according to each period of Uncle Ho's life and activities. The 1st floor exhibits artifacts and materials about Ho Chi Minh's biography, prominent revolutionary activities, and the nation-building process according to His will, with thematic exhibition spaces. The 2nd floor showcases representative struggles and major victories of the Vietnamese people under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, with the displayed artifacts expanded as a deeper step to understand the themes presented on the 1st floor. From an overview of the world and Vietnam's situation to the significance of the October Revolution in Russia, the significance of Vietnam's participation on the side of the Allies to fight against Fascism, Ho Chi Minh's role in the world revolutionary movement... Finally, there are exhibits depicting Vietnam's image in the era of renewal to the present.

Address: No. 19 Ngoc Ha, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Vietnam Museum of Nature is a National Museum inaugurated in 2004. Despite its small area of 300m2, it houses nearly 40,000 different specimens. The museum was established to preserve the precious natural values of Vietnam over the past 3.6 billion years. Before entering the museum, visitors will be impressed by a lifelike giant dinosaur sculpture right in front of the museum. Besides, the introduction panels about the exhibited specimens also stimulate the curiosity of visitors. Stepping inside, you will be amazed and excited by a vast world of living organisms with various species. The 40 thousand specimens include animals such as reptiles, mammals... insect species, fungi, geological specimens... arranged by type.

At Vietnam Museum of Nature, you also have the opportunity to admire rare and precious plant and animal species that you may not have known before, such as moonfish... The museum also utilizes every space to share knowledge with visitors. On an eye-catching wooden wall, you will encounter a diagram of the evolutionary tree simulating the natural world with 5 main kingdoms: animals, plants, fungi, precursors, and protists. Besides the living organisms, the museum also exhibits fossil evolution specimens of humans from prehistoric times. Alongside each exhibition area, there will be a screen to help visitors understand more about the evolutionary process of the plant and animal kingdom. Thanks to its novelty, attractiveness, and great educational value, the museum attracts nearly 500 visitors every day. Especially young children who are still curious about the world around them.

Address: No. 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.

Museum of Ethnology Vietnam is an institution under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, with the function of scientific research, collection, inventory, preservation, restoration of artifacts and materials about ethnic groups; organizing exhibitions, performances, and other activities to introduce, promote, and educate about the historical and cultural values of ethnic groups inside and outside the country; providing research materials about ethnic groups for various fields; training personnel in research, professional, and museum management in anthropology. The museum is located on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Quan Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, near Nguyen Khanh Toan Street and opposite Nghia Do Park. The museum preserves and displays many cultural artifacts of all 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam, including 15,000 artifacts, 42,000 photographs, 2190 negatives, 273 audio tapes of interviews, music, 373 video tapes, and 25 CD-ROMs (as of 2000). These artifacts are classified according to various criteria such as ethnicity, function, clothing, jewelry, agricultural tools, fishing tools, weapons, household items, musical instruments, religious beliefs, wedding customs, funeral customs, and various spiritual and social activities.

The regular exhibition area in the Drum Tower introduces all 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. Here, there are many common artifacts in the daily life of the people. Especially rich are the fabrics of ethnic groups such as skirts, dresses, scarves... decorated with various traditional techniques; woven items, especially various types of baskets, trays, trays, ceremonial objects... Along with artifacts, in the exhibition rooms, there are also photos and documentary films, reflecting every aspect of material culture, non-material culture, typical aspects of life, and creativity of ethnic groups. To fully serve visitors, all information in the display, articles, as well as annotations, are done in 3 languages: Vietnamese, English, and French. The museum also prepares many leaflets introducing the main contents, in Vietnamese, English, French, Chinese, German, Japanese... distributed free of charge to visitors. In the outdoor area, there are 10 folk architectural works such as: Ba Na communal house, Ede longhouse, Tay stilt house, Dao half-stilt half-earth house, Hmong ground-stilt house, Vietnamese tiled house, Cham stilt house, Ha Nhi slanted-wall house, Giarai communal tomb house, and personal tomb house of Cơtu people. In this garden full of green trees, there are also Khơme boat and Dao water-powered rice pounding mortar.

Address: Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi.

Geological Museum is a specialized museum in Vietnam, preserving specimens related to geology - minerals. The Geological Museum is part of the system of Natural Science Museums in Vietnam and is an official member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The Geological Museum is currently located within the premises of the General Department of Geology and Minerals, at 6 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Phan Chu Trinh Ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. After the establishment of the Indochina Geological Survey in 1898, two French geologists, Honoré Lantenois and Henri Mansuy, were tasked with building the Geological Museum. The museum was built within the premises of the Survey and completed in 1914. According to an article by the Director of the Indochina Geological Survey André Blondel in 1928, at that time the museum displayed specimens collected from the territory of Indochina and was classified into four sections: 1. Minerals, 2. Petrology, 3. Paleontology, 4. Prehistory, and lacked specimens of regional geology and minerals.

In 1954, the country was divided, and the Indochina Geological Survey was considered to be relocated to Saigon. According to an article in 1973 by Henri Fontaine, the specimens were also moved. The specimens were handed over to the Mineral Resources House under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Vietnam, and the Geological Museum was located at 31 Han Thuyen Street. In 1970, a new exhibition house was built at 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, next to the Botanical Garden. In 1975, after the end of the war, the management of this Geological Museum was handed over to the Southern Geological Map Association, a member unit of the VNDCCH Geological Department. In the north, the Geological Museum was established and under the Technical Department of the Geological Department, the State Ministry of Industry of the VNDCCH. In 1963, P. N. Varfolomeev, the director of the Leningrad Geological Museum of the Soviet Union, was invited as an advisor to restore and develop the museum's activities. In 1978, it was named the Geological Repository Museum, then in 1985, it became the Geological Mine Information Documentation Institute. In 1991, it officially became the Geological Museum. In 1997, it became the Institute of Information, Documentation, and Geological Museum. In 1999, the new exhibition house of the Geological Museum was opened at 6 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Hanoi. In 2001, the Geological Museum was recognized by ICOM as a member of this organization, and was one of the first five members of ICOM Vietnam. Since 2003, the Geological Museum has been a specialized museum. By 2008, the Southern Geological Museum was included in the common name and became the southern branch.

Address: 6 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.