With Vietnam’s quite challenging past, sad images about war are frequent sights in many of its museums. Most of the country’s key cities have such museum including its capital, Hanoi. Though the city has several museums, there is one place that sets itself apart from other museums and is considered a must-visit for both locals and tourists. In Hanoi’s Museum of Ethnology, there is nothing about war. Both a research centre and a public exhibit venue, it showcases the preservation of cultural heritages of the country’s 54 ethnic groups.

A premiere museum in all aspects, the museum is made of fine modern structure and well-though out floor plan that generously helps visitors get a good glimpse and understanding of Vietnam’s history. Its interior architecture was done by Mrs. Veronique Dollfus, a French architect. The Museum is divided into two parts: an indoor and an outdoor exhibition. The indoor part is a rich showcase of artifacts carefully detailing the traditional Vietnamese way of life, from religious events to the symbolic rituals of all the Vietnamese ethnic groups. All displays provide a rich tapestry of the culture melting pot existing in Vietnam. The exhibition hall features everyday objects representing each group, a research centre, library, storage, technical lab and auditorium.

  The outdoor section displays a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas, with great attention to details on the varying architectural styles set within the authentic and tranquil gardens. In addition, there are also leisure pursuits on display including traditional water puppet theatre and calligraphy. The future aim of the museum is to also showcase the many cultural practices and civilizations across Southeast Asia. Recently, the museum was placed in a recent Travellers’ Choice Attractions survey conducted by TripAdvisor as among the 25 most attractive museums in Asia.

Through a ranking generated from the votes of the website’s subscribers who have visited the site, the Museum was ranked sixth for meeting all international quality standards. This is also the second time that the Museum of Ethnology has been voted as an excellent destination; now rated at 4.5 stars after the first recognition last year. The Museum is located in a large open area on Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay District, about 8 km from Hanoi’s city centre.