Viet Nam History Museum

3/14/2012

Location: Vietnam History Museum is located on No. 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Characteristic: This museum reminds Western tourists that Vietnam is a country, not a war, with a history stretching back to prehistoric times. It covers the nation's past from its earliest inhabitants to the establishment of the Communist Party in 1930. The exhibits include ancient archaeological artifacts, fourteenth-century weaponry, Cham sculpture, and an extensive ceramics collection. The museum is housed in a pagoda-like neo-Vietnamese building, built by the French in 1929. It is one of the few museums in Vietnam with helpful English explanations.

Housed in a rambling new concrete pagoda-like structure, the museum presents a clear picture of Vietnamese history, with a focus on the south.

The museum’s exhibits are pided according to the following topics:

- Rise of the Hung Kings

- Fight for Independence (1st-10th centuries)

- Ly Dynasty (11th-13th centuries)

- Tran Dynasty (13th-14th centuries)

- Le Dynasty (15th-18th centuries)

- Tay Son Dynasty (18th-19th centuries)

- Nguyen Dynasty (19th-middle of the 20th centuries

There's an excellent the 14th century onward is on display; one yard is nothing but cannons. One wing is dedicated to ethnic minorities of the south, including photographs, costumes, and household implements. Nguyen dynasty (1700-1945) clothing and housewares are also on display.

There are archaeological artifacts from prehistoric Saigon. Its 19th- and early-20th-century histories are shown using photos and, curiously, a female corpse unearthed as construction teams broke ground for a recent housing project. There are even some general background explanations in English, something missing from most Vietnamese museums

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