Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts

One of Hanoi’s main cultural institutions, the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts occupies a former colonial building completed in 1937, which later took on its museum role about thirty years on. Inside, nearly two thousand works are displayed, tracing the development of Vietnamese art from prehistoric times to contemporary creation. The visit begins with early cultures, including the well-known Đông Sơn bronze drums, before moving into medieval Vietnam with religious sculptures and objects, notably Buddhist statues and Hindu works from the Cham civilization. The heart of the museum focuses on twentieth-century art, with the world’s largest collection of Vietnamese lacquer paintings and key figures of modern painting such as Tô Ngọc Vân, Nguyễn Gia Trí, and Bùi Xuân Phái, famous for his scenes of old Hanoi. The upper floors are devoted to contemporary art, spanning abstraction, installations, and newer forms of expression. Easy to navigate and enlightening, the museum offers a well-paced cultural activity to better understand Vietnam’s artistic heritage.