VIETNAM MUSEUM OF ETHNOLOGY- THE ATTRACTIVE LOCATION IN HANOI
1. Introduction about the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology was established in 1981 in Hanoi with an area of 3.27 ha. Architect Ha Duc Linh designed this work, and Architect Veronique Dollfus (French) designed its interior. The Museum is like a miniature picture of the history and culture of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam with unique cultural diversity. The exhibits here are displayed in many different categories, such as costumes, jewelry, weapons, musical instruments, religion, beliefs, and many other spiritual activities.
2. Location of Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is located on Nguyen Van Huyen, Cau Giay, about 8km from the center of Hanoi. The Museum has excellent cultural value at a national as well as local scale. You can quickly get here by many vehicles such as cars, motorcycles or taxis. For many visitors to Hanoi, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is always on the list of “must-not-miss” destinations.
The entrance fee is 40,000 VND / person. (about 2 US dollars / 200 Japanese Yen)
Tickets for Water puppet show: Adults: 90,000 VND / ticket (about 4 US dollars / 450 Japanese Yen) – Children: 70,000 VND / ticket. (3.5 US dollars / 350 Japanese Yen)
3. What is interesting about Vietnam Museum of Ethnology?
The Museum is divided into three main display areas: Trong Dong building, Outdoor section, and Southeast Asia exhibition area. From the outside, visitors will be attracted by the layout, from the form to the content, shown are very scientific and logical, helping the visitor easily grasp the cultural colors of each nation.
Trong Dong Building
Trong Dong building has two spaces. A themed exhibition space which is always refreshed on the second floor, while the first floor introduces the identity of 54 ethnic groups. It has 15,000 artifacts, 42,000 footage and images depicting daily life, costumes, clothing, farm tools, and religious beliefs as well as the customs of ethnic minorities. The exhibits here are mainly translated into three languages: Vietnamese, English, French and some other languages for visitors to easily follow the content of the Museum.
Visitors will be amazed at the beautiful exhibits carefully displayed from clothes, tools to models of rituals, funerals, weddings, etc. All are reconstructed as a small corner of life and traditional culture of Vietnamese ethnic minorities of the past.
Outdoor section
After visiting the Trong Dong building, visitors will see a large yard, which is the outdoor display area. Here, there is the unique architecture of the local people such as the Tay stilt houses, the Ede stilt houses, the Pomu-houses of the H’ mong people. In the garden, there is also a water sprout mortar of the Dao people.
Southeast Asia exhibition area
Next, visitors can visit the Southeast Asia area in the Museum. From a distance, visitors will notice that the exhibition area is built in the shape of a kite – a traditional symbol of not only Vietnam but also the ASEAN region. Kite symbolizes dreams, ambitions, and eternal freedom.
This section displays Southeast Asian Culture, Indonesian glass paintings, A glimpse into Asia and Around the world. The Museum also contains educational activities, halls, movie theaters, and multimedia rooms for visitors to see cultural documents not only of Vietnam but also of ASEAN countries. This shows the friendly relationship between Vietnam and Southeast Asia countries as well as many parts of the world.
4. Exciting activities at the Museum
On Saturdays and Sundays, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology also organizes many water puppet shows, folk music activities, and folk festivals bearing the Vietnamese national culture. Also, visitors can buy some small and lovely souvenirs as gifts for their family or friends.
Coming here, besides imbued with the Vietnamese national identity, visitors also feel the culturally rich interference of Southeast Asian countries. This makes the relationship between the culture of Vietnam and the countries of Southeast Asia better.
As a place to preserve the long-standing cultural values of 54 ethnic groups combining identity colors throughout the country, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology must be one of the places you should visit when coming to the capital.
