The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology has many different functions, such as researching, collecting, preserving, and restoring objects and materials from ethnic peoples; Organize exhibitions, shows and other forms of activity to present the cultures of ethnic groups in Vietnam, as well as in other countries.
About the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Ethnology museum is situated in Hanoi, Vietnam. It is known due to its focus on 54 recognized ethnic groups by law in Vietnam. Vietnam is a multi-culture city and to conserve the ethnicity of all the different groups as many as 54 groups the Vietnam government decided to establish a museum in Hanoi.
This museum is the finest contemporary museum and a great tourist attraction. On December 14, 1987, the proposal of this museum was permitted and its construction began in 1987 and was completed in 1995. It spreads across 327 acres of land.
During its construction, the Board that was managing the construction and Museum Department was an integral part of The Institute of Ethnology. In October 1995 it was included in National Center for Social Sciences and Humanities, by the Prime Minister. 27 billion Vietnamese dong was the total budget allocated for the construction of the Ethnology museum excluding the 4billion required for assembling and displaying the relics. Ha Duc Linh was the architect who designed the museum’s exhibition building. Mrs.
Veronique Dollfus was the one who did the interiors. The museum has been segregated into two parts- Indoor and Outdoor. The research center, library, exhibition building, auditorium, storage, and technical lab constitute the indoor exhibition while the outdoor emphasizes the various house forms in the country of Vietnam.
The public started visiting the museum from 12th Nov 1997, after its inauguration. The museum aims at propagating scientific research, conservation, documentation, collection and safeguarding the culture and history of the various ethnic groups. It receives around 60,000 visitors in a year.
Diversity at the Ethnology museum
It is not only an important center for display and storage of artifacts but the museum also has the honor of collecting 25 CD-ROMS, 42000 photographs, 15000 artifacts, 237 audio tapes, 2190 slides, and 373 videotapes. It makes the most of research carried out on a range of ethnic groups. This is not only a source of amusement and entertainment, but people also come here to indulge in gathering knowledge about the different ethnic groups, their cultural heritage and multiplicity, exclusivity of each group and their conventional values.
The relics consist of priceless antiquities along with everyday items such as bags, pots, knives, etc. These objects reveal the substantial and insubstantial cultural legacy of the people representing their creative activities and lives.
The Ethnology museum has fishing instruments, clothing, jewelry, household utensils, agricultural equipment, weapons and musical instruments classified into 54 individual assemblies. Artifacts also related to spiritual and religious ceremonies are also present here for eg. Antiquities related to birth and funeral ceremonies, wedding rituals, etc. The museum publishes books and articles to spread awareness about these groups.
The museum of Vietnam has not only been created to serve the museum objectives but also to throw light on the country’s scientific and technological progress. Firstly, this museum was created keeping everybody in mind. It sports electric elevators for easy access to all the floors, ramps and railings for the old and challenged. The Ethnology Museum is one of its kind museum in the entire world.
Important to Know
Opening Hours: From 08:30 – 17:30, Every Monday will be closed.
Facilities: The museum also has wheelchair access with ramps and an elevator to access the second floor.
Entrance fee: 40,000 vnd.
Best way to get there: It is better to take a 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 Nghia Tan stop and walk two blocks.
Address: On Nguyen Van Huyen Street in the Cau Giay district of Hanoi is about 8km away from the center of town.
