Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts of Vietnam, in Hanoi

The Museum of Fine Arts of Vietnam is one of the great cultural places of Hanoi, installed in an elegant colonial building of 1937, that retraces the whole history of Vietnamese art. The Hanoi audio-guided tour stops here to evoke its nearly two thousand works, from prehistory and the Đông Sơn bronze drums to contemporary creation.

The whole history of Vietnamese art

The Museum of Fine Arts of Vietnam is one of the major cultural places of Hanoi. It is installed in an elegant colonial building of 1937, originally a boarding school for young girls, transformed into a museum some thirty years later. Here, you discover nearly two thousand works exhibited, retracing the whole history of Vietnamese art, from prehistory to contemporary creation. The route begins with the ancient cultures, notably the famous Đông Sơn bronze drums, witnesses of a refined civilisation more than two thousand years old, before presenting the sculptures and religious objects of medieval Vietnam, including remarkable Buddhist statues in lacquered and gilded wood, dragons and deities. The visitor then crosses the great periods of the dynasties, discovers folk art, traditional prints and the costumes of the ethnic minorities of the country. A large place is given to modern and contemporary art, in particular to painting on silk and to lacquer, two techniques in which the Vietnamese artists excel and that give works of a great delicacy. You also admire there canvases marked by the eventful history of the twentieth century, between French influences and affirmation of a national identity. A place of great richness, the museum offers a complete panorama of the Vietnamese artistic genius. An art museum and a creative memory of the country, the Museum of Fine Arts is a fine stop of the discovery of Hanoi.

What to see

Here you discover, in an elegant colonial building of 1937, nearly two thousand works retracing the whole history of Vietnamese art: the Đông Sơn bronze drums, the Buddhist statues in lacquered and gilded wood of medieval Vietnam, folk art and the costumes of the minorities, and modern creation, in particular painting on silk and lacquer in which the Vietnamese artists excel. The Museum of Fine Arts is a major cultural place of Hanoi. It is a fine stop, indoors.

Practical information

The Museum of Fine Arts of Vietnam lies in the Đống Đa district, in Hanoi, a few hundred metres from the Temple of Literature, reachable on foot. It follows its own days and opening hours, variable, and entry is generally subject to a fee. It is best to enquire before coming.

What to see at the Museum of Fine Arts of Vietnam in Hanoi?

Nearly two thousand works retracing the whole history of Vietnamese art, from prehistory to contemporary creation: the Đông Sơn bronze drums, the Buddhist statues in lacquered and gilded wood of medieval Vietnam, folk art and the costumes of the minorities, and modern painting on silk and lacquer, in an elegant colonial building of 1937.

Where is the Museum of Fine Arts of Vietnam in Hanoi?

In the Đống Đa district, in Hanoi, near the Temple of Literature, in Vietnam.