Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam, impresses tourists with its antique beauty, stunning landscapes, and historical and cultural values. When traveling to Hue, besides the mausoleums and temples, you should visit long-standing Hue museums. With its diverse and rich collections, Hue museums attract both domestic and foreign tourists, especially those who want to learn about Vietnamese culture and history. Let’s explore the top 07 fascinating museums in Hue with Handspan Travel Indochina!

Through this blog post, you will find out these pieces of information below. 

The value and significance of museums in Hue

The museums in Hue store, preserve, and display many artifacts, works of art, and historical stories related to the ancient capital of Hue and its dynasties. Thanks to important values and meanings, the museums in Hue not only help tourists explore and learn about Vietnamese history and culture but also contribute positively to the development of Vietnam tourism. 

The value of museums in Hue lies in the fact that they help preserve and restore valuable cultural, historical, and artistic values ​​of Vietnam, thereby helping current and future generations have the opportunity to access and learn what is necessary to protect and develop national culture. The artifacts, works of art, and historical stories displayed in these museums also give visitors interesting and rich experiences about the country's culture and history.

Additionally, the museums in Hue also play an important role in developing local tourism. Thanks to their values ​​and meanings, these museums have attracted a large number of domestic and international tourists to visit and explore. This helps the tourism industry in Hue and the whole country to have more revenue while creating many job opportunities for local people.

The top 07 outstanding museums in Hue

Along with cuisine and royal court music, Hue museums are also a cultural beauty that makes the ancient capital different. Let’s explore the top 07 outstanding museums in Hue with us!

Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities

• Address: 03 Le Truc Street, Phu Hau Ward, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue Province
• Opening hours:07.00 a.m. - 05.30 p.m.
• Entrance fee: VND 50,000

Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities

Founded in 1923, the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities is one of the most outstanding museums in Hue that you should visit. This is the first museum in Hue and has a lot of significance for the ancient capital. It has a total area of 6,500 square meters. This museum stores and displays collections of ancient Hue antiques, mostly originating from the Nguyen Dynasty. They are porcelain, enamelware, royal costumes, seals, musical instruments used in ceremonies, paintings and mirrors, gilded and inlaid wooden objects, cannons from the Nguyen Lords and Nguyen Kings, etc. In addition, the museum also has a unique and diverse collection of Champa sculptures.

Royal costumes displayed in the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities

Shoes displayed in the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities

Gilded wooden tables and chairs in the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities

 

Let’s explore the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities with Handspan Travel Indochina!

• Long An Palace

Long An Palace is the main place to display antiquities, located within the museum’s campus. The palace was built in 1845 under King Thieu Tri. It was built of wood with 128 columns. The exterior and interior are both impressively designed, rich in art, sophisticated, and elegant. This place displays many artifacts made of gold, Hue enamel, porcelain, ceramics, royal medicine, royal utensils, and costumes of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family. Coming here, you can admire the ancient artifacts and the beautiful ancient royal architecture.

Long An Palace inside the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities

• Champa Antiquities Area

Champa Antiquities Area is the place to introduce typical works of Champa sculpture over many centuries. This sightseeing area helps visitors understand more about the special position of Champa culture in the process of forming and developing the unique cultural values ​​of Hue. 

• Visiting exhibitions

Besides the antiquities display area, the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities also attracts tourists through exhibitions with many attractive topics, bearing many cultural imprints of the ancient capital. Some outstanding exhibitions include Emperor Thieu Tri and the cultural and artistic life of the Hue royal court, Mother Goddess worship in the royal court culture, etc. 

Overall, thanks to special ancient collections and distinctive architectural style, the Hue Royal Museum of Antiquities is among the best museums in Hue that you should drop by. 

Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hue

• Address: 07 Le Loi, Vinh Ninh, Hue, Thua Thien Hue
• Opening hours: 08.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m. & 02.00 p.m. - 05.00 p.m.
• Entrance fee: free

Ho Chi Minh Museum is one of the museums in Hue that you should visit. Coming here, you will have a chance to learn about President Ho Chi Minh’s life and his working time in Hue. The museum was established in 1980 and was rebuilt and inaugurated on May 19, 2000. This museum stores thousands of written and folk documents about President Ho Chi Minh, his memory of the time in Hue, and his heart for Thua Thien Hue. Many tourist groups as well as students come here to visit and research.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

The museum's exhibits are extremely rich and have four different areas. The permanent exhibition area exhibits collections divided into 8 themes. The special exhibition area displays content related to President Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary career. Some outstanding exhibition themes at the Ho Chi Minh Hue Museum include Ho Chi Minh - Portrait of a Man, Hanoi - Hue past and present, and Hue folk artisans with President Ho Chi Minh. 

The museum’s collections of artifacts include postcards and images of President Ho Chi Minh, a collection of money and credit notes, and collections of postage stamps. In addition, the typical artifacts exhibition area displays artifacts associated with Uncle Ho's life, including a wristwatch, certificate of merit, jackfruit wood tray, etc. 

Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum

• Address: Le Loi Street, Phu Nhuan Ward, Hue, Thua Thien Hue
• Opening hours: 07.30 a.m. - 05.00 p.m. (Monday - Thursday) & 07.30 a.m. - 09.00 p.m. (Friday - Sunday)
• Entrance fee: VND 30,000

Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum is also among the outstanding museums in Hue. This is the place to store and display works of art with high artistic value, marking the development of Hue fine arts through the ages. The museum focuses on researching and introducing famous and typical works of art by famous domestic and international painters and artists.

Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum

The museum has three spaces. They are the art exhibition space, Le Ba Dang Art exhibition space and Diem Phung Thi Art exhibition space. In addition to displaying and introducing to the public the works of art by two world-famous artists, painter Le Ba Dang and sculptor Diem Phung Thi, Hue Museum of Fine Arts also has a space to display the works of art by famous artists who have contributed to the development of Hue's fine arts from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, in the fields of painting, sculpture, etc.

Besides displaying and introducing art works, Hue Royal Fine Arts Museum also coordinates cultural and artistic activities. Thanks to the convenient location and many unique artifacts and works of art, the museum is an attractive spot to visit in Hue that you should not miss.

Thua Thien Hue History Museum

• Address: 268 Dien Bien Phu Street, Truong An Ward, Hue, Thua Thien Hue
• Opening hours: 07.30 a.m. - 11.00 a.m. & 01.30 p.m. - 05.00 p.m. (Tuesday - Sunday)
• Entrance fee: VND 30,000

Thua Thien Hue History Museum is also among the worth-visiting museums in Hue. This museum was formerly the Binh Tri Thien Museum, founded in 1976. Undergoing the process of formation and development, the museum has had many different names. Since 2016, it has had the current name. 

Thua Thien Hue History Museum

The museum is now displaying more than 30,000 documents, artifacts and many valuable collections. The whole is divided into 3 exhibition areas according to each period. They are the revolutionary struggle movement and resistance against French colonialism in Thua Thien Hue, period 1930-1954, resistance against the US to save the country in Thua Thien Hue, period 1954-1975, and the section displaying large-scale artifacts. 

Exhibitions in Thua Thien Hue History Museum

Thua Thien Hue History Museum is not only a place for exhibition, but also a system of inventory and preservation with thousands of valuable documents, artifacts and collections. This spot attracts many tourists who want to learn about the special history and culture of Hue and the surrounding area with fascinating and profound experiences.

Le Ba Dang Memory Space

• Address: Kim Son Village, Thuy Bang Commune, Huong Thuy Town, Hue, Thua Thien Hue
• Opening hours: 08.00 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. & 02.00 p.m. - 06.00 p.m. (Tuesday - Sunday)
• Entrance fee: VND 269,000

Le Ba Dang Memory Space

Le Ba Dang Memory Space is also among the museums in Hue that you should not miss. This is a stunning contemporary art space located on a hill surrounded by vast mountains and forests. This place displays outstanding works of various genres and themes by painter Le Ba Dang. Let’s explore this space with us!

• The green garden surrounding the architectural space

Coming to Lebadang Memory Space, you will feel amazed with the green garden surrounding the architectural space. From the undulating hills to the babbling streams, the space gives you a chance to immerse yourself in natural nature.

Green garden surrounding the Le Ba Dang Memory Space

• The main exhibition area of Le Ba Dang Memory Space

Lebadang Memory Space has a very large space with 6 functional areas. The main exhibition area displays paintings and sculptures made from many different materials by painter Le Ba Dang. The content and display methods are constantly changing according to international standards.

The main exhibition area of Le Ba Dang Memory Space

• Underground art tunnel

The special feature of the Lebadang art museum is the 50m long tunnel running along the hillside. This tunnel is dedicated to the exhibition of light art.

Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery

• Address: 120 Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Street, Huong Long Ward, Hue, Thua Thien Hue
• Opening hours: 08.00 a.m. - 05.00 p.m.
• Entrance fee: VND 120,000

Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery is among the most unique museums in Hue. This is the only Hue museum that displays pottery artifacts picked up from the river. With a total area of only 500 square meters, this museum has nearly 7,000 artifacts. Most of them are ancient ceramics salvaged from the bottom of the Perfume River, dating from many eras, from Cham ceramics, Sa Huynh ceramics, Prehistoric, Early Historical, Early Le ceramics, etc. Besides, there are also ceramic artifacts that were once produced in the ancient villages of Phuoc Tich, My Xuyen, etc. 

Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery

The museum’s main space is the place to display 108 typical ceramic artifacts from the pre-Sa Huynh - Sa Huynh period (2,500 years ago - 3,000 years ago), Champa period (first millennium AD), Ly - Tran period to Nguyen period (19th - 20th century). Mostly displayed at the Museum are daily life items such as jars, pots, vases, cups, bowls, lime pots made of different materials such as terracotta, porcelain, and enameled ceramics. These are all artifacts that were closely associated with and specifically reflect the daily life of residents through historical periods. They reflect the process of exchange between regions of Vietnam and the international exchange process of Hue residents with many countries in the region and around the world.

The Museum of Porcelain signed in the Nguyen Dynasty

• Address: 114 Mai Thuc Loan, Dong Ba Ward, Hue, Thua Thien Hue
• Opening hours: full day
• Entrance fee: VND 30,000

The Museum of Porcelain signed in the Nguyen Dynasty is one of the private museums in Hue that you may want to drop by. This museum displays rare antiques of porcelain. With more than 200 unique artifacts, the porcelain collection here gives you an insight into the traditional art and culture of the Vietnamese people. 

The Museum of Porcelain signed in the Nguyen Dynasty

Signed porcelain refers to porcelain items ordered by Vietnamese people (emperors, mandarins, commoners) at Chinese kilns during the period from the second half of the 17th century to the early 20th century. These types of porcelain often have specific requirements for design, color, decorative patterns, illustrated poems and inscriptions. In addition to themes related to Hue and neighboring regions, porcelain inscriptions also depict classical themes such as the four sacred animals, landscapes, characters, historical stories, the four seasons, the eight immortals, etc. Besides signed porcelain, the museum also preserves many different domestic and foreign antique collections. 

Some tips to know before visiting museums in Hue

Visiting the museums in Hue gives you a chance to explore the ancient capital’s unique historical and cultural depth. To make the most of your museum visit, let’s refer to these helpful tips below. 

• Planning your time

Before visiting the museums in Hue, you may want to learn about the opening hours of the museum and plan your time. If you want to have a comprehensive experience, let’s plan your visit in the morning or early afternoon. 

• Respecting cultural norms

Dress modestly, especially if you are visiting museums housed in former royal grounds or related to sacred history. Avoid revealing clothing. Besides, be mindful of photography rules. Some museums may restrict photography in certain areas, particularly where artifacts are fragile or historically significant.

• Engaging with local guides

Many museums in Huế offer guided tours in Vietnamese and English. Taking a tour can help you dive deeper into the stories behind the artifacts and artworks. Alternatively, hiring a local guide who specializes in Huế’s history can also provide deeper insight and answer any questions you have on-site.

In conclusion, you have just known about the most amazing museums in Hue. Hope that these pieces of information will be helpful for you. If you want to have more information, book a Hue tour package, or tailor your itinerary, please do not hesitate to contact our team.