Ho Chi Minh City is not only the most modern and developing city in Vietnam but also one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Besides famous locations such as Independence Palace, Dragon House Wharf, Saigon Notre-Dam Basilica, Ben Thanh Market, China Town, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Ho Chi Minh City has 12 interesting museums that bring visitors great experiences and knowledge about history, culture and economy.
Table of Contents
1. War Remnants Museum
Opening hours: 7:30 – 18:00, daily (including Tet and other holidays)
Address: 28 Vo Van Tan Street, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The museum is located right in the city center so that it is easy to reach the museum by yourself or just simply book a tour including this attraction.
Entrance fee: 40,000 VND/adult; 20,000 VND/child aged 6-15; free for child under 6 years old
Website: http://www.baotangchungtichchientranh.vn
Email: bt.ctct.svhtt@tphcm.gov.vn
Phone: (+84) 08 2203 0682 – (+84) 28 3930 6664
Founded on September 4, 1975, and welcomed over 20 million of visitors for nearly 45 years and ranked as one of the world’s Top 10 museums in 2018 by TripAdvisor, War Remnants Museum is definitely top 1 museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Visitors come to Vietnam would like to not only see beautiful landscapes but also learn about history and culture, especially the Vietnam War against America. Most of the Ho Chi Minh City tours take their guests to this museum as a must-stop on any trip to a city where there is a wide range of things to do.
The artifacts in the museum with a total area of 7,300 m2 are mainly from the French colonial period to the united country day. They are all about the war crimes including the most terrific My Lai massacre, agent orange and supports from all over the world, displayed in outdoor and indoor areas. Weapons, military transportation, bombs, tiger cages are placed in the spacious courtyard. The cube-shaped building has 3 floors:
- The ground floor: Room 11 Waging peace – U.S. soldiers and veterans who opposed America’s War in Vietnam and Room 10 – The world supports Vietnam in its resistance to U.S. aggression 1954 – 1975.
- The first floor: Room 6 – Aggression War Crimes, Room 7 – Agent orange aftermath in the U.S. aggressive war in Vietnam, Room 8 – Agent orange consequences through children’s paintings.
- The second floor: Room 1 – Historic truths, Room 2 – Requiem – the photo collection of the U.S. aggressive war in Vietnam, Rooms 3 – 50 years Vietnam – War and Peace, Room 4 – Agent orange in Vietnam War.
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of War Remnants Museum
2. Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City
Opening hours: 8:00 – 11:30; 13:00 – 17:00 daily
Address: 2, Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The museum is located next to Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden – one of the largest green spaces in the city center. It is easy to reach this place by bus because there is a bus station in front of the gate on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street.
Entrance fee: 30,000 VND
Website: http://www.baotanglichsutphcm.com.vn
Phone: +84 28 3829 8146
Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City was established on January 1st, 1929 with the name Blanchard de la Brosse Museum. There are 43,000 valued artifacts, including 12 national treasures at present. The function of the museum is to preserve and promote the cultural and historic heritage of the country with activities like research, collection, examination and restoration. Visiting this museum and walking 365 steps, visitors learn all about Vietnamese history and culture from the prehistoric period to Nguyen dynasty through displayed artifacts in 18 rooms:
- Room 1 – Prehistoric period, Room 2 – The first period of Founding and Struggling for Independence
- Room 3 – Ngo – Dinh – Early Le Dynasties, Room 4 – Ly Dynasty, Room 5 – Tran Ho Dynasty, Room 6 – Champa Culture, Room 7 – Oc Eo Culture, Room 8 – Stone carvings of Cambodia, Room 9 – Le – Mac, Trinh – Nguyen Dynasties, Room 11 – Tay Son Dynasty, Room 12 – Nguyen Dynasty
- Room 13 – Duong Ha Collection, Room 14 – Asian Ceramics, Room 15 – Mummified Body of Xom Cai, Room 16 – Vuong Hong Sen Collection, Room 17 – Minority cultures from Southern Provinces, Room 18 – Buddhist statues of Asian countries
One of the highlights of this museum is the 2 beautiful buildings inspired by Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Eastern and Western architectures, especially the airy and bright design. The octagonal part on the top of the old building inside Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is tiled and decorated with dragon and phoenix shaped decorations and 4 spheres.
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City
3. Ho Chi Minh City Museum
Opening hours: 8:00 – 17:00 daily
Location: 65 Ly Tu Trong Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The museum is surrounded by the streets of Ly Tu Trong, Pasteur, Le Thanh Ton, and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. It is only a few hundred meters from Ben Thanh Market, Independence Palace, Fine Arts Museum or Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral.
Entrance fee: 30,000 VND/adult; free for children under 6 years old; Wedding photograph: 400,000 VND/a couple; Camera: 20,000 VND; Car parking fee: 35,000 VND; Motorbike parking fee: 5,000 VND
Website: http://www.hcmc-museum.edu.vn
Email: baotangtphcm@gmail.com
Phone: +84 28 38 299 741
Coming to Ho Chi Minh City Museum, visitors see the stunning architecture of the building – a blend of Oriental and Occidental styles, impressive facade, decorations, wood doors, window shutters, staircase in French style. This is a favorite place to take photos of local and visitors, especially wedding photos.
With the area of 1,700 m², Ho Chi Minh City Museum is a large building displaying ancient, historic, cultural exhibition about the city as well as Vietnam. The museum has 10 room and each room as the following:
- Natural – Archaeological of Saigon Room
- Geography and Administration of Saigon Room
- Commercial port – trade – service of Saigon Room
- Industry and Handicraft of Saigon Room
- Saigon Cultural Room
- Marks of land reclaiming in South Vietnam through the museum objects Room
- Room of Revolutionary Struggle 1930 – 1954
- Room of Revolutionary Struggle 1954 – 1975
- Room of Resistance Souvenirs
- Vietnamese Money Room
In addition, there are some artifacts such as weapons and military transportation and a car under Nguyen dynasty displayed in the courtyard. Visitors can explore an 1 m thick, 2.2 m high air raid shelter with a total space of 1,392.3 m2, 6 rooms, 2 stairs and 6 steering wheel-shaped iron doors. This shelter was built after President Ngo Dinh Diem moved to Gia Long Palace because the Norodom palace (ie Independence Palace) was bombed on February 27, 1962.
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Ho Chi Minh City Museum
4. Fine Arts Museum
The building has 4 floors and displays lots of pictures and sculpture works having great value about history and art.
Opening hours: 8:00 – 18:00 daily (from 10th June 2019)
Address: 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, Nguyen Thai Binh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. It is only a few hundred meters from Ben Thanh Market, Independence Palace or Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral and Ho Chi Minh City Museum.
Entrance fee: 30,000 VND
Website: https://baotangmythuattphcm.vn
Phone: +84 8 38.294.441 or +84 8 38.216.331
Email: btmthcm@hotmail.com
Established in 1987, Fine Arts Museum housing 20,000 artifacts that cover paintings and sculptures having great value about history and art by various artists including famous ones who contributed to Vietnam fine arts development. This is has been a great place for people including students, locals and foreinger who love fine arts and learn more about Vietnamese fine arts. The museum owns 3 buildings, all of which were designed beautifully in a mix of Vietnamese and French styles. The light yellow facade, round pillars and nice decorations, 99 doors and arched windows, curved stair handrails and furniture make the buildings fancy.
- Building 1 (3 floors): used as a working office and a painting display room, an art shop, an area for visitors to write their testimonials.
- The first floor: modern arts after 1975.
- The second floor: modern arts after 1975, art works from the revolutionary period, national precious artwork, art works of foreign artists.
- The third floor: art works by the artists from the Indochina fine arts college and Gia Dinh fine arts school, modern arts before 1975.
- Building 2 (2 floors): temporary special exhibition of artists and artworks, special exhibition from the Museum’s collection, Projection room, Reading room, a display of furniture belonging to the building of the Fine Arts Museum.
- Building 3 (3 floors): contemporary artworks of the ancients made from stone, ceramic, wood and bronze.
- Outdoor exhibition: about 20 sculptures by famous Vietnamese sculptors
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Fine Arts Museum
5. Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine
Opening hours: 8:30 – 17:00 daily
Address: 41 Hoang Du Khuong, Ward 12, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City. The museum is about 3.6 km from Ham Nghi Bus Station, the nearest bus station from Ben Thanh Market. Visitors can take taxi to the museum or book a city tour including this museum.
Admission fee: 120,000 VND (adult); 60,000 VND (child)
Website: http://fitomuseum.com.vn
Tel/Fax: +84 2838642430 or +84 2838627812
E-mail: museum@fito.vn
Built in 2003 and has been open for publishing since 2007, Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine or FITO Museum is one of the first Vietnamese traditional medicine museums in the country. The museum has 6 floors, 18 rooms, a total area of 600 m2 and a huge collection of about 1,112 medicine names and nearly 4,000 precious artifacts related to traditional medicine in Vietnam from the Stone Age. They have been collected by Mr. Le Khac Tam, a pharmaceutical industry employee who are passionate on traditional medicine.
- 4th floor
- Room 1: Evolution of Vietnamese traditional medicine from 2nd century before BC.
- Room 2: Altar on which 2 greatest physicians, known as the ancestors of Vietnamese traditional medicine: Tue Tinh Zen Buddhist (14th century) and Hai Thuong Lazy Man Le Huu Trac (18th century)
- Room 3: Items from Stone and bronze age, the remarkable is the boat-shaped grinder
- Room 7: Giant wood carved painting named Viet Nam Bach Gia Y
- 5th floor
- Room 4: 15 pictures of famous physicians and authors of Vietnam traditional medicine from 13th to 18th centuries
- Room 5: Artifacts in Cham culture
- Room 6: Artifacts about Korean, Japanese and Chinese traditional medicine
- 3rd floor
- Room 8: Collection of medical trees and painting collection “Vietnam ban thao”
- Room 9: Tools to prepare traditional medicine
- Room 10: Model of an oriental drugstore
- Room 11: Collection of jars to keep medicine and wine
- 2nd floor
- Room 12: Collections of bowls to drink medicine, teapots, lime holes and pots
- Room 13: Collection of balances, mortars, pestles, Planes, plywood
- Room 14: Ground pots to simmer medicine
- Room 15: Collections of ancient wine jars, wine pots, bowls to drink wine
- Room 16: Royal physician institute
Coming to Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, visitors have the opportunity to not only learn more about the development of traditional Vietnamese medicine but also join live processing medicine, have the doctor examine live, watch a documentary film, enjoy some tea from organic ingredients and buy medicine and tea here.
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine
6. Artinus 3D Art Museum (Gallery)
Opening hours: 9:00 – 18;00 (Monday – Friday); 9:00 – 20;00 (Saturday, Sunday)
Address: 02-04 Street 9, Him Lam Residental Area, Tan Hung Ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City. Located in the urban are of District 7 known as the place for rich people in Ho Chi Minh City, the museum is about 4.5-5 km from District 1. Visitors can take taxis or motorbike taxis to reach the gallery.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artinusvn
Entrance fee: 150,000 on weekdays; 200,000 VND on weekends.
Artinus 3D Museum has 9 rooms that display 3D paintings drawn by 15 Korean artists. The gallery has 9 zones: the Aqua Zone, Animal Zone, Masterpiece Zone, Vietnam Zone, Egypt Adventure Zone, Fantage Zone, Giant Zone, Strange House Zone, Love Zone. Each zone has a different theme, but they are combined together to make into a unique and interesting story.This place attracts lots of tourists, especially young friends to relax, learn more about 3D arts and take great photos with the paintings.
7. Ho Chi Minh Museum – Ho Chi Minh City Branch
Opening hours: 7:30 – 11:30; 13:30 – 17:00 from Tuesday to Sunday
Address: 01 Nguyen Tat Thanh, Ward 12, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City. This museum is about 2 km from Ben Thanh Market. It is located in District 4, which is separated from District 1 by Saigon River. Visitors reach the museum after crossing the Calmette Bridge from District 1 side.
Website: http://baotanghochiminh-nr.vn
Tel : +84 28 38255740 or +84 28 39401053
Email: bt.cn.svhtt@tphcm.gov.vn
Entrance: free
Ho Chi Minh Museum – Ho Chi Minh City Branch belongs to the system of Ho Chi Minh Museum which has branches in Hanoi, Hue, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang. It saves, studies, collects, preserves more than 11,372 artifacts and more than 3,300 book titles about the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh. The museum is located next to Dragon Wharf where Nguyen Tat Thanh (name of Ho Chi Minh when he was young) started going abroad on a ship in order to seek the way to save the cournty. In a adition, the building with a cubic shape, lines of square pillars and light orange facade, the nice view of Saigon River and the green spacious garden with a lotus pond, the historic Tan Trao banyon and Bodhi tree is worth visiting. The displayed artifacts are placed on 2 floors as follows:
- First floor
- Thematic exhibition – Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese patriots in France
- Topic about Uncle Ho for South Vietnam – South Vietnam for Uncle Ho
- Topic about Ho Chi Minh – the itinerary of age
- Memory room of Ho Chi Minh President
- Second floor
- First theme: Infant and young ages of President Ho Chi Minh. Begining of patriotic and revolutionary activities. President Ho Chi Minh accepts Marxism – Leninism and affirms Vietnamese Revolution way (1890 – 1920)
- Second theme: President Ho Chi Minh fights to protect and manipulates creative ways of V.I Lenin on nationalism and colonialism. President Ho Chi Minh created the main Party of Vietnamese workers class (1920 – 1930)
- Third theme: President Ho Chi Minh – the organizer and leader of successful August Revolution and the founder of Democratic Republic of Vietnam, fighting to consolidate revolutionary administration and resistance against French colonialists invaders (1930 – 1954)
- Fourth theme: President Ho Chi Minh leading socialist revolution in North Vietnam and fighting against U.S.A Invaders liberating South Vietnam and unifying the country (1954 – 1969)
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Ho Chi Minh Museum – Ho Chi Minh City Branch
8. Ho Chi Minh Campaign Museum
Opening hours: From Monday to Friday, 8:00 – 11:00, 13:30 – 16:30; Open on Saturday and Sunday upon request
Address: 2, Le Duan Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. This museum is located right in the city center, next to Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden. The museum is about 3.6 km from Saigon Backpacker Area. You can take Bus D1 from 23/9 Park Bus Station to Thao Cam Vien Saigon Bus Station.
Free entrance
Phone: +84 336 578 946
Ho Chi Minh Campaign Museum stores, studies, collects, preserves documentaries, artifacts about the Ho Chi Minh Movement. The museum saves 467 original artifacts 108 material photos, 36 scientific documentaries and so on. Especially, the electric model in the middle of the museum imitates the last days of the movement with the led system and explain words. Everything existing in the Museum remind us about the heroic fights in the Vietnam War.
The museum is located on a campus of over 6,000m2, the building has a total area of 1,500 m2. The museum houses more than 467 artifacts, 108 photos, 36 scientific documents, 37 statues, and 100 artifacts that are not displayed. They are grouped and displayed in the garden and on 2 floors of the building:
- Outdoor display area
- Indoor display area
- First floor
- Road 14 – Phuoc Long Campaign
- Tay Nguyen Campaign on the first floor at Ho Chi Minh Campaign Museum
- Hue – Da Nang Campaign on the first floor
- Ho Chi Minh Campaign on the first floor
- Second floor
- General Staff of the Saigon Army before April 1975 Room
- Ho Chi Minh campaign headquarters
- First floor
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Ho Chi Minh Campaign Museum
9. Southeastern Armed Forces Museum
Open time: from Monday to Friday, 8:00 – 11:30, 13:00 – 16:30; opened on Saturday and Sunday upon request
Address: 247 Hoang Van Thu Street, Ward 1, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The museum is located about 5 km from Ben Thanh Market and 1.8 km from Tan Son Nhat Airport. In comparision to other top museums, Southeastern Armed Forces Museum is further from District 1 – the city center. However, it can be reached quickly from the airport. So you should not miss this interesting museum if you have enough time in the city.
Website: http://btlsqsvn.org.vn
Free entrance
Opened in February 1988 as a typical war museum in Ho Chi Minh City, Southeastern Armed Forces Museum impresses visitors by the Vietnamese resistance in many stages of the struggle against enemies from the Chinese occupation, the early Indochina War with France, to America’s War. The museum has a total area of 2.5 hectares. The indoor and outdoor display areas house over 17,500 artifacts, documents and photos, divided into 5 departments:
- Stateroom
- 7th Military Zone in Anti-French Resistance War (1945 – 1954)
- 7th Military Zone in Resistance War against America (1954 – 1975)
- 7th Military Zone in Resistance War in the development and protection of the nation and international duties (from 1975 until now)
- Outdoor area
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Southeastern Armed Forces Museum.
10. Ton Duc Thang Museum
Opening hours: 8:00 – 11:30, 13:30 – 16:30 from Tuesday to Sunday
Address: 5 Ton Duc Thang, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The museum is located in the heart of Saigon, looks over Saigon River and Bach Dang Harbor Garden. It is only 550 m from Saigon Opera House, 950 m from Ho Chi Minh City’s People Committee and Nguyen Hue walking street. So that it is easy to reach this museum to learn more about Vietnam history and the life of the famous president of Vietnam.
Free entrance
Website: http://www.baotangtonducthang.com
Phone : +84 2838.297542, internal number 114 or +84 28 38.257478
Ton Duc Thang Museum preserves and displays documents and artifacts about the life and career of President Ton Duc Thang, the legendary senior revolution leader of Vietnam. This museum contains over 1,000 historical valued artifacts. It is suitable for those who want to study Vietnamese history. The building of Ton Duc Thang Museum has a total area of over 700m2:
- The memorial room
- 05 permanent galleries: Uncle Ton with the workers; Life and career; 15 years in Con Dao prison; Uncle Ton at the ATK – Viet Bac; Uncle Ton through the Fine artworks)
- 1 thematic showroom – Presents to President Ton Duc Thang
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Ton Duc Thang Museum.
11. Southern Women’s Museum
Opening hours: 7:30 – 11:30, 13:30 – 17:00 from Sunday to Thursday
Address: 202 Vo Thi Sau, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. It is located 2.5 km from Ben Thanh Market so that visitors can reach it easily.
Website: http://www.baotangphunu.com
Email: baotangphununambo@gmail.com
Tel: +84 28 39.320.322 or +84 28 39.325.690
Entrance: free
Found on April 29, 1985, Southern Women’s Museum (also known as South-Vietnamese Women Museum) stores and displays artifacts, documents and photos about the life of Southern women in and after the war period. This is the favorite destination of both locals and visitors, including women and foreign tourists when they visit Ho Chi Minh City. All artifacts are housed in the beautifully designed 4-story building with a total ground area of 3,000 m2 and a total floor area of 5,410,5 m2. The museum owns 31,360 artifacts and 11,000 books about Vietnamese women but displays only 929 the most typical artifacts which are divided into the following sections:
- Women in folk religion
- Womenswear and accessories of Southern women
- Traditional trade villages of ethnic women in South Vietnam
- Ao Dai – the essence of Vietnamese people
- Other sections about Southern women in the wars against the French colonial and America
- Sections about Southern women in the country’s development and protection
- Female political prisoner struggle in Southern prisons
- Foreign affairs
- When the country was invaded women also participate in troops
- Women troops
- Heroic Vietnamese mothers
- President Ho Chi Minh with Southern Vietnamese women
- Southern Vietnamese women in the cause of building the nation
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Southern Women’s Museum
12. Ao Dai Museum
Opening hours: 8:30 – 17:30 daily
Address: 206/19/30 Long Thuan Street, Phuong Long Phuoc, District 9, Ho Chi Minh City. The museum is about 22 km from District 1, this might be the only minus of this attraction.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baotangaodaivietnam
Website: http://baotangaodaivietnam.com
Email: aodai@baotangaodaivietnam.com
Entrance fee: 100,000 VND
Established by the famous Vietnamese artist and designer Si Hoang, Ao Dai Museum on a campus of more than 20,000 m2 was inaugurated on 22nd January 2014. This museum stores over 1,000 Ao Dais (Vietnamese traditional dresses), including dresses made 300 years ago. Besides, there are 3,000 photos of women in traditional clothes during different historical periods. Coming to this museum, visitors have big chances to admire the beauty of Ao Dai, learn about designs and history of this Vietnamese traditional dress, experience Ao Dai making process. One of the highlights of this attraction is the spacious space with a large lake, lots of green trees, green grass, houses in Vietnamese traditional style around the Ao Dai displaying area.
Read more about history, building, architecture, displayed artifacts of Ao Dai Museum.
Summary of Top 12 museums in Ho Chi Minh City
Although Ho Chi Minh City has lots of interesting destinations, experiencing the city by visiting museums, discovering the culture, history or taking photos in a special way is worth doing. In fact, Ho Chi Minh City has 12 museums which have been listed above. 2 private museums include Ao Dai Museum owned by Mr. Sy Hoang and Fito Museum owned by Mr. Le Khac Tam. The others are public museums, operated by the government and army.
5 museums do not charge admission, 4 most popular museums including War Remnants Museum, Museum of Vietnamese History, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Fine Arts Museum Ho Chi Minh City charge 30,000 VND (~ $1.25 USD) for admission. The others including Fito Museum, 3D Arts Gallery, Ao Dai Museum charge over 100,000 VND (~ $4 USD) for entry. The most expensive is the 3D Arts Gallery’s entrance ticket. It is not clear if they accept credit cards at these museums so that visitors should prepare cash in VND. It is better to arrive at the museums about 2 hours before the closing times. Some museums do not open during lunch break around noon. Pay attention to the operating hours of each museum and arrange to visit it on time.
