Hanoi Museum

Built to celebrate 1,000 years of Thang Long Hanoi, the Hanoi Museum is arguably the city’s most dramatic example of modern-day architecture. Hosting a myriad of exhibits, this museum displays multiple well-preserved statues, ceramic artifacts, and photographs as well as a few items from foreign countries.

The Museum

The floor area of the Hanoi Museum is scaled down from top to bottom, creating a strikingly modern take on an inverted pyramid. It has four public floors which rise around a spiral walkway up an open atrium. Each floor houses documents, artifacts, and antiques relating to Hanoi‘s history, heritage, and culture as well as indigenous botanical and animal specimens.

It covers an impressive 54,000 square meters in total, with most exhibits housed on three of its floors. The fourth level mostly contains conference rooms, art workshops, a library, and space for large temporary exhibitions. Including time to enjoy the surrounding gardens and water features, plan for about two hours to fully explore the museum.

Exhibits

Hanoi Museum contains many priceless antiques detailing the city’s 1,000 years of civilization.  The first-floor houses many well-preserved copper statues and ceramic artifacts dating from around the 16th century.

Key exhibits include the Co Loa Bronze Drum and Thanh Mai Bell and the dragon-shaped pillar model from the Ly Dynasty. They form an important record of the different periods of Hanoi’s social history. Furthermore, there is an interesting representation of a Doai Communal House and displays typical festivals and customs in and around Hanoi.

You can take a look at Hanoi through old photographs depicting the life and political struggles faced throughout the 20^th century, as well as wooden and bronze objects made by artisans from well-known craft villages around the Hanoi region.

The museum’s third floor is devoted to centuries-old exhibits donated by art collectors and organizations, which include antique ceramics, sculptures, and bronze drums. There is also a small collection of foreign artifacts and art pieces mostly originating from China and Japan.

Getting There

Situated next to the National Conference Center, the Hanoi Museum can be reached from the Old Quarter via several bus routes. A more efficient way is by conventional taxi, Grab car or motorcycle. The journey should take 20-30 minutes depending on the traffic.

Both a beautiful piece of architecture as well as a site to learn about the city, the Hanoi Museum is a great addition to your vacation itinerary. If learning about the area’s history is an important aspect of your trip, consider taking a look at some of these other museums in Hanoi!

Details

Address: Phạm Hùng, Mễ Trì, Nam Từ Liêm, Hanoi, Vietnam

Phone: +84 24 6287 0604

Season: Year-Round | Tuesday – Sunday | 8 AM – 11:30 AM & 1:30 PM – 5 PM

Website: baotanghanoi.com.vn