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Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

VerdictWorth a half-day trip out of the centre for the open-air houses alone. Any day but Monday works.

Hanoi's museum of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, with full-size village houses outside.

A long Ede stilt house with a thatched roof and a carved log staircase, set among trees in the museum garden
Photo: Richard Mortel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
On this page
  1. Intro
  2. Getting there
  3. Hours & fees
  4. Nearby
  5. Questions
  6. Sources

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology covers the 54 officially recognised ethnic groups of Vietnam. It opened to the public on 12 November 1997, after building work that ran from 1987 to 1995. A second exhibition building, about the peoples of Southeast Asia, opened in 2013. The museum belongs to the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

The museum's curved white entrance building with its name in Vietnamese, English and French above the steps
Image: Rungbachduong / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Behind the main building is an open-air exhibition of full-size houses, including an Ede longhouse from the Central Highlands. Wikipedia lists the collection at more than 15,000 artifacts and 42,000 photographs.

A thatched Giarai tomb house surrounded by a fence of carved wooden figures
Image: Richard Mortel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Getting there

The museum is on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, west of the city centre. Measured in a straight line on map coordinates, it is about 5.7 km from Hoan Kiem Lake and about 4.7 km from Hanoi railway station. Noi Bai International Airport is about 20 km away in a straight line; the road is longer.

Hours and fees

WhenHours
Tuesday to Sunday8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Mondays and Lunar New Year (Tet) holidaysClosed
TicketPrice
AdultsVND 40,000
Children under 6Free
CameraVND 50,000
English or French guide, indoor exhibitionVND 100,000

The museum's English site gives two different sets of reduced prices for students and children on two of its pages, so we list only the adult price, which both pages agree on, and figures that appear on one page only. Check reductions at the desk.

An old bicycle loaded with dozens of bamboo fish traps, on display in a museum hall
Image: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Our take

At almost 6 km from Hoan Kiem Lake, this is a half-day trip from the old centre, not a stop between other sights, and we think the open-air houses justify the ride. It opens every day but Monday with no lunch break, so timing is easy: just leave enough of the afternoon for the garden before the 5:30 PM close.

Nearby

Questions travelers ask

Is it worth the trip out of the centre? Asked what is essential with four days in Hanoi, one reply said:

"The Museum of Ethnology is world class, IMO. I’ve been there 5 times."

u/megabulk on r/hanoi

What stands out? Later in the same thread:

"I was at museum of ethnology yesterday and I was shocked more people hadn't mentioned it to me!"

u/khentanots on r/hanoi

More sights in Hanoi

Related guides

Sources

Checked in October 2026.Show all 7 sources
  • vme-en.vass.gov.vn. Open 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM; closed Mondays and Lunar New Year holidays; Nguyen Van Huyen Street.
  • vme-en.vass.gov.vn. Admission VND 40,000 per person; free under 6; camera VND 50,000; French/English indoor guide VND 100,000 (admission page).
  • en.wikipedia.org. 54 officially recognised ethnic groups; opened 12 November 1997; construction 1987 to 1995; second building on Southeast Asia opened 2013.
  • wikidata.org. Museum coordinates 21.04060, 105.79900.
  • wikidata.org, page 2. West of the centre; about 5.7 km from Hoan Kiem Lake (5.70 km; almost 6 km), 4.7 km from Hanoi railway station (4.71 km), 20 km from Noi Bai (20.10 km).
  • ourairports.com. West of the centre; about 5.7 km from Hoan Kiem Lake (5.70 km; almost 6 km), 4.7 km from Hanoi railway station (4.71 km), 20 km from Noi Bai (20.10 km).
  • wikidata.org, page 2, page 3. LOTTE Center about 1.7 km (1.68 km), Ho Chi Minh Museum about 3.5 km (3.53 km), Mausoleum about 3.7 km (3.73 km).