Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi showcases the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam’s 54 officially recognized ethnic groups. Established in 1997, it features extensive indoor and outdoor exhibitions, including traditional houses and artifacts, offering visitors an immersive experience into the nation’s diverse cultures. The museum also hosts cultural performances and educational programs, making it a valuable resource for both learning and cultural appreciation.

Planning your visit

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology covers all 54 officially recognised ethnic groups in Vietnam, and it is widely considered the best-presented museum in the country. The indoor galleries hold textiles, tools, musical instruments, ritual objects and reconstructed domestic interiors, documented with unusual care and labelled properly in English and French as well as Vietnamese.

The outdoor section is what most visitors remember: full-size traditional houses relocated from around the country and rebuilt in the grounds, including a Bahnar communal house with a soaring thatched roof, Ede longhouses, and Hmong and Tay dwellings. Visitors go inside and climb them. A Giarai tomb with its carved wooden figures is reconstructed as well.

Water puppet performances and craft demonstrations run periodically, and the museum's ethnographic approach treats minority cultures as living rather than historical, which distinguishes it from state presentations elsewhere.

It sits in Cầu Giấy district, some way from the Old Quarter — a taxi ride rather than a walk. Allow two to three hours.

Bookable options combine the museum with day trips outside Hanoi: the incense-making village at Quảng Phú Cầu, with its bundles of red incense sticks fanned out for drying, and photography-focused village tours. Current availability is shown below.