Prominent Museums in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

What could not be missed when you are in Hochiminh city is some of the significant museums that tell the whole vivid story of a heroic and historical Saigon.

1. Revolutionary Museum

Location: No.65 Ly Tu Trong Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam.

Opening hours: 08.00 a.m to 11.30 a.m and 02.00 p.m to 04.30 p.m from Tuesday to Sunday

Admission fee: 15,000 VND.

Inside the famous Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon) of Vietnam, there stands a more than 100 year-old building of the “Revolutionary Museum”, which was formerly the palace of the Cochin-china Governor, and then the office of the Imperial Delegate of the King’s special envoy.

Visiting the museum, tourists will have a thorough understanding of the heroic, historical and heart-rending struggle against the French and American invaders of the Vietnamese in general and Saigon’s people in particular.

Construction & Formation: The construction of the museum started in 1885 and was completed in 1890 under the design of French architect Alfred Foulhoux, who also designed the Saigon Court. The Municipal Revolutionary Museum was originally intended to display items from Nam Ky (the former name of South Vietnam), but the Governor of Nam Ky enlisted it as his residence. After that, the building became the residence of Japanese Governor Minoda. It was also the office of the Nam Bo Provisional Administrative Committee (1945) and of the Republic of France High Commissioner. The building was later reconverted into the residence of the Governor of Nam Ky. Until August 1978, the building was finally turned into the Ho Chi Minh City Revolutionary Museum.

Characteristics: Coming here, you can find a number of pictures and exhibits related to the struggle against the French colonialism and the American aggressors to liberate and to protect the City. More importantly, there are images of the General Uprising in the Mau Than Spring (1968) and the historical Ho Chi Minh campaign (1975) to liberate the Country.

2. War Remnants Museum

Location: 28 Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Opening hours: 08.00 a.m to 11.30 a.m and 02.00 p.m to 04.30 p.m from Tuesday to Sunday

Entrance fee: 15,000 VND.

“During the Vietnam War, 3 million Vietnamese were killed, 2 million people injured, 300,000 people missed…”. Visiting the War Remnants Museum, you may know much more about these historical truths from the collections of photos taken by 134 War reporters killed during the Vietnam War, the vestiges of war crimes and aftermaths.

Formation: Operated by the Vietnamese Government, the museum was opened in September 1975 as the “The House for Displaying War Crimes of American Imperialism and the Puppet Government (of South Vietnam)”. Later it was known as the Museum of American War Crimes, then as the War Crimes Museum until as recently as 1993. Its current name followed liberalization in Vietnam.

Characteristics: The museum contains numerous artifacts, photographs and pictures documenting American war crimes. It comprises a series of eight themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment located within a walled yard. The military equipment include a UH-1 “Huey” helicopter, an F-5A fighter, a BLU-82 “Daisy Cutter” bomb, M48 Patton tank, and an A-1 attack bomber. One building reproduces the so-called tiger cages in which the South Vietnamese government housed political prisoners. Other exhibits include graphic photographs, accompanied by short copy in English, Vietnamese and Japanese, covering the effects of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliant sprays, the use of napalm and phosphorus bombs, and atrocities such as the My Lai massacre. Curiosities include a guillotine used by the French and the South Vietnamese to execute prisoners, last in 1960, and three jars of preserved human fetuses. Such artifacts and documents illustrate the killing of civilians, spreading of chemicals, torturing of prisoners and the effects of the war on the north. Planes, tanks, bombs and helicopters are also on display.

For the past 20 years, more than 6 million visitors have visited the museum. Among those, nearly 1 million were foreign visitors, including American tourists.