Vietnam Museum Of Ethnology

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Vietnam Museum Of Ethnology

Vietnam

Hanoi

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Overview

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers an insight into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity within the country.

Visitors are welcome to browse some of the vast research on offer at this public museum which is also a centre for ethnographic research.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is a little out of the way from Hanoi's main sights, but as one of the city's best and most informative museums, it's worth seeking out. If you're planning on going trekking to the north and northwest of Hanoi, this museum should really be considered essential, but it goes well beyond covering the groups who live there.

This fabulous collection relating to Vietnam's ethnic minorities features well-presented tribal art, artefacts and everyday objects gathered from across the nation, and examples of traditional village houses. Displays are well labelled in Vietnamese, French and English. If you're into anthropology, it's well worth the approximately 200,000d-each-way taxi fares to the Cau Giay district, about 7km from the city centre, where the museum is located.

Local bus 14 (4000d) departs from P Dinh Tien Hoang on the east side of Hoan Kiem Lake and passes within a couple of blocks (around 600m) of the museum; get off at the Nghia Tan bus stop and head to Ð Nguyen Van Huyen.

History
The proposal for the museum was officially approved on 14 December 1987. Construction lasted from 1987 to 1995, and it was opened to the public on 12 November 1997. The budget for construction of the museum was $1.9 million USD, with an additional $285,000 USD allocated for acquisition of artifacts.

The exhibition building was designed by the architect Ha Duc Linh, a member of the Tày ethnic group, in the shape of a Đông Sơn drum, and the interior architecture was designed by the French architect Véronique Dollfus.

Highlights
The museum has over 15,000 artefacts including photographs and other multi-media such as audiotapes. Its indoor exhibition space can be viewed via a virtual tour which includes the Viet, Muong, Tho, Chut, Tav, Thai, Ka Dai, H’Mong-Dao, Tang, San Dui, Ngai, Mon-Khmer, Nam-Dao, Cham, Hoa and Khmer ethnic groups. There are priceless antiques on display alongside everyday objects such as pipes, baskets and knives.

Expect to see a wide range of interesting items on display at the museum with clothes, jewellery and items relating to weddings, funeral ceremonies and other spiritual rituals also exhibited across the 54 communities offering an incomparable glimpse of their history, heritage and cultural identity.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

Opening Hours: From 08:30 - 17:30, closed on Mondays
Location: On Nguyen Van Huyen Street in the Cau Giay district of Hanoi about 8km away from the centre of town
Remarks: The museum also has wheelchair access with ramps throughout and an elevator for access to the second floor
How to get there: best to go via taxi to the museum which will take about 20 minutes or alternatively take the number 14 minibus from Dinh Tien Hoang Street (just north of Hoan Kiem Lake) to the Nghai Tan stop and walk two blocks

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