National Museum of Vietnamese History: opening hours, tickets and collections (2026)
The National Museum of Vietnamese History traces the country's history from prehistory to 1945, in an Indochinese-style building put up in 1932 for the French School of the Far East, near the Opera House and Hoan Kiem Lake. You will see Dong Son bronze drums, Cham sculpture and objects from the Vietnamese dynasties. Allow 1.5 hours. The adult ticket is 40,000 VND; most guides give hours of 8:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:00. It fits well before or after the Hanoi Opera House and the Temple of Literature, in a one-day itinerary.
Highlights
The building
The yellow and ochre facade with tiled roofs and arcades mixes Vietnamese architecture and European influences. It can be photographed from Trang Tien street and is worth a look even before you go in.
The Dong Son bronze drums
Among the most famous pieces of the ancient Red River civilisation, these large bronze drums decorated with scenes of life are emblems of the country.
Cham collections and coins
Cham stone sculptures, bronze bells and cash coins strung on cords show the diversity of kingdoms and periods. The old pieces range from ritual objects to trade coins.
Dynasties and the revolution
The rooms follow the dynasties, then the colonial period and the August 1945 revolution, with flags and period documents.
Practical info
Tips
- Adult ticket 40,000 VND; 20,000 VND for university students and 10,000 VND for high school students, free for children under 6 and visitors with disabilities according to guides consulted in October 2026; no official source could be confirmed. Camera fees vary between guides. Sources disagree about closing: most say the first Monday of the month, one guide says every Monday: check before coming on a Monday. A second site of the museum exists on Tran Quang Khai street, but the main building is the one on Trang Tien street.
How to get there
1 Trang Tien street, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi. On foot, 10 minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake and 5 minutes from the Opera House; by Grab, 5 to 10 minutes from the Old Quarter.
Opening hours
Nearby
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