Museums · Hanoi · Vietnam
4 best museums in Hanoi
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: vi:User:Rungbachduong, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Hỏa Lò Prison, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and Vietnamese Women's Museum. Together the 4 picks below take roughly 6–7 hours across 3 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 4
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 6–7 hours
- Areas
- French Quarter, Cầu Giấy and Ba Đình
Museums in Hanoi
Museum · French Quarter
1.Hỏa Lò Prison
Built by the French in 1896 to hold Vietnamese political prisoners, the prison was later nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton' by American pilots held there, including John McCain.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Cầu Giấy
2.Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
The best museum in Hanoi for understanding Vietnam's 54 recognised ethnic groups, with clothing, tools and ritual objects indoors and full-size traditional buildings in the garden, including an Ê Đê longhouse and a soaring Ba Na communal house you can climb into.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Architecture
Museum · French Quarter
3.Vietnamese Women's Museum
Four floors explore women's roles in family life, history and wartime, alongside striking textiles and costumes from ethnic minority groups and a gallery on street vendors.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Gallery · Ba Đình
4.Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts
Just north of the Temple of Literature, this colonial building holds Vietnamese art from ancient bronze drums and Buddhist statues to 20th-century lacquer and silk paintings.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| French Quarter | Hỏa Lò Prison and Vietnamese Women's Museum | 1 hour + 1.5 hours |
| Cầu Giấy | Vietnam Museum of Ethnology | 2–3 hours |
| Ba Đình | Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts | 1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 4, 4 low cost. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Vietnam Museum of Ethnology; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 2 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (French Quarter): Hỏa Lò Prison → Vietnamese Women's Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Cầu Giấy and Ba Đình): Vietnam Museum of Ethnology → Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- June: highs of 33°C (91°F), about 15 rainy days, quiet crowds. Hot and sticky, often well above 35°C on the hottest days, with heavy rain showers; hotel prices are low.
- July: highs of 33°C (91°F), about 16 rainy days, quiet crowds. One of the hottest and wettest months, and storms can disrupt Ha Long Bay cruises.
- August: highs of 32°C (90°F), about 17 rainy days, quiet crowds. The rainiest month, with intense downpours that can flood streets briefly; typhoon remnants are possible.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- French Quarter — Wide colonial boulevards, embassies and grand hotels south of the lake
- Ba Đình — Government district of the mausoleum, embassies and the Imperial Citadel
More of Hanoi
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Hanoi?
Hỏa Lò Prison. Built by the French in 1896 to hold Vietnamese political prisoners, the prison was later nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton' by American pilots held there, including John McCain.