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Museum of Vietnamese History, Ho Chi Minh City

Yellow Indochinese-style History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City with a tiered tower, curved tiled roofs and palm trees
Photo: Nguyễn Thanh Quang, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
60,000 VND; kids and students free
Hours
Tue–Sun 8:00–11:30 and 13:00–17:00, lunch break 11:30–13:00
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
1 h 15 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Admission
60,000 VND per visit, same price for Vietnamese and foreign visitors
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Free
Children aged 6–16, pupils and students, visitors with severe disabilities — with ID
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Half price
Vietnamese citizens aged 60+ and other concessions on Vietnamese documents
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Closed
Monday
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Last entry
Unofficial: ticket desk closes around 16:30
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Street entrance
Gate 2 at 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, ticket desk beside it; Gate 1 opens into the zoo
officialConfirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator.
Zoo ticket
Not needed via Gate 2 from the street (per the museum’s official site plan)
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Water puppets
A stage is marked on the museum plan; no published schedule or price
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Payment
Bring cash in VND; card acceptance at the desk is unconfirmed
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Metro
Line 1, Ba Son station — about 10 minutes on foot
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Coordinates
10.78484, 106.70759YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

1929the museum opened on 1 January — the oldest in southern Vietnam
3 sourcesEnglish and Vietnamese WikipediaWikidatamuseum’s official site
12Vietnamese national treasures are held here
2 sourcesMuseum’s official siteSài Gòn Giải Phóng (SGGP) newspaper
43,000+objects and documents in the collection
2 sourcesMuseum’s official siteVietnamese Wikipedia
Auguste Delavalthe French architect of the Indochinese-style main building
2 sourcesEnglish and Vietnamese Wikipediamuseum’s official site
Blanchard de la Brossethe museum’s first name, after a governor of Cochinchina
2 sourcesEnglish Wikipediamuseum’s official site
1979it took its current name, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History
2 sourcesMuseum’s official siteEnglish and Vietnamese Wikipedia
17 galleriesin the permanent display, plus an octagonal hall for temporary shows
SourceMuseum’s official site (gallery plan)
1st–7th centurythe Oc Eo culture of the Mekong Delta, given the largest gallery
2 sourcesMuseum’s official siteEnglish Wikipedia
19th centurythe Xóm Cải mummy, a burial from old Saigon, has its own room
2 sourcesMuseum’s official siteVietnamese Wikipedia
Dong Son drumsbronze drums of the ancient culture of northern Vietnam
2 sourcesMichelin guidepenang-traveltips.com

How much are tickets?

Admission is 60,000 VND per visit, the same for Vietnamese and foreign visitors. That’s the rate in the notice on the museum’s official site; the fee was recently doubled by a city council decision, so many guides still quote 30,000 VND.

Free entry covers children aged 6–16, pupils and students, people with severe disabilities and low-income households, all with proof. The site says nothing specific about under-6s, so ask at the desk. The 50% reduction is for Vietnamese citizens aged 60+ and other groups on Vietnamese documents, so foreign seniors normally pay full price; whether a foreign student card counts isn’t stated.

Bring Vietnamese dong in cash — the museum doesn’t say whether the desk takes cards. Grab accepts foreign cards in the app, but small everyday payments in Saigon are mostly cash.

Opening hours and the best time to go

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday in two sessions: 8:00–11:30 and 13:00–17:00. Monday is the closing day. Those are the hours on the current official site; the museum’s older site gave 13:30 for the afternoon start, and one guide says the ticket desk closes at 16:30.

According to the older site it also opens on public holidays, Tet included, unless they fall on a Monday. Weekday mornings are the quietest; at weekends local families come before heading into the zoo. Allow 60–90 minutes and plan to finish before the lunch break or start right after it.

Is it inside the zoo? Which gate to use

The museum stands in the grounds of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens (Thảo Cầm Viên), right by the zoo’s main entrance on Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm street. That’s why many visitors assume they have to buy a zoo ticket first.

The museum’s official site plan shows two entrances. Gate 2 opens onto the street at 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, with the museum ticket desk beside it. Gate 1 opens into the zoo, for people already inside the gardens. If you only want the museum, use Gate 2 and pay just the museum fee.

Doing both means two separate tickets. The zoo’s official site lists daily hours of 7:00–18:30 and 60,000 VND for anyone 1.3 m or taller, 40,000 VND from 1 m to 1.3 m. A good order: the museum before its lunch break, then the shady old gardens and the animals in the afternoon.

What to see: the highlights

  • Prehistory (gallery 1) — stone tools and early finds from what is now Vietnam. The arrowed route starts here.
  • Dong Son bronze drums — ancient drums from northern Vietnam decorated with sun, birds and daily-life scenes, the emblem of Vietnamese antiquity.
  • Champa (gallery 6) — sandstone and bronze Hindu gods and Buddhas, 2nd–17th century. Among the national treasures here are the bronze Đồng Dương Buddha and a statue of the goddess Devi.
  • Oc Eo (gallery 7) — the largest room, on the Mekong Delta kingdom of the 1st–7th century, with statues of Surya, Durga and the Sa Đéc Buddha, all national treasures.
  • Cambodian stone sculpture of the 9th–13th century (gallery 8) — useful context if Angkor is next on your trip.
  • Buddhist statues from across Asia (gallery 18) — Buddhas and bodhisattvas from Vietnam, China, Japan, Thailand and beyond, in the heart of the building.
  • Shipwreck ceramics (gallery 14) and the collections of the connoisseurs Vương Hồng Sển and Dương Hà (galleries 16 and 13).
  • The Xóm Cải mummy — a 19th-century burial from old Saigon in a side room off gallery 3. Sensitive kids may want to skip it.
  • Galleries on the dynasties and later periods (3–5, 9, 10, 12) and on the peoples of southern Vietnam (17).

Water puppet shows

The official site plan marks a water puppet stage next to gallery 13. Water puppetry is the old Vietnamese theatre in which puppeteers stand waist-deep behind a screen and steer the figures across a pool. Older guides list short shows of about 20 minutes several times a day.

The museum doesn’t publish a current schedule or price, so don’t plan around a show: ask at the desk whether there is one that day. For a full-length performance, Saigon has dedicated water puppet theatres downtown — a separate evening out.

How to get to the History Museum

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On foot

More tips

  1. Walk from Notre-Dame Cathedral — about 1.3 km north-east along the straight Lê Duẩn boulevard, 20–25 minutes. The boulevard ends at the zoo gates; head for Gate 2 at 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, beside the zoo’s main entrance.
  2. Grab or taxi — 5–15 minutes from downtown depending on traffic. Search for ‘Bảo tàng Lịch sử TP.HCM’. Grab takes cash or a foreign card in the app.
  3. Metro — Line 1 from Ben Thanh or Opera House (Nhà hát Thành phố) to Ba Son, the next stop after Opera House, then roughly a 10-minute walk along Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm; sources give 500 m to 1 km.
  4. Bus — the museum’s site lists routes 06, 14, 19, 30, 45, 52 and 56 nearby. The list is old, so check the BusMap app.
  5. Afterwards, walk back down Lê Duẩn to Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office.

Is the History Museum worth visiting?

Yes, if ancient Asia interests you at all. The Champa and Oc Eo galleries are among the best in the country, and they set you up nicely for the Cham towers of central Vietnam or a trip to Angkor. The 1929 building alone is worth the short detour, and the ticket is cheap.

Skip it if you only have a day in Saigon and want the modern city. English labels are there but sometimes brief, and without an interest in archaeology the dynasty rooms can blur together. With kids, pair it with the zoo: ninety minutes of statues, then animals and lawns.

History Museum or Saigon Zoo?

History Museumyou are hereAncient cultures, dynasties, Asian art60,000 VND; ages 6–16 and students freeTue–Sun 8:00–11:30 and 13:00–17:00Monday60–90 minutesGate 2, 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm
Saigon Zoo and Botanical GardensHistoric botanical garden with animals60,000 VND from 1.3 m; 40,000 VND from 1 to 1.3 mDaily 7:00–18:30No closing day1.5–2 hoursMain entrance on the same street

Prices and hours are from the official museum and zoo sites. Tickets are separate. Together they make a half-day: museum in the morning, gardens after lunch.

Before you go

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Historic sights in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City’s historic places scored by YesGo. Tap a column header to sort.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon4620 minFree19 min walk
Saigon Central Post Office4530 minFree17 min walk
Independence Palace451 h 15 min40,000–80,000 VND28 min walk
Saigon Opera House4430 minFree19 min walk
Ben Thanh Market431 hFree30 min walk
War Remnants Museum411 h 30 min60,000 VND; concessions 30,00031 min walk
Museum of Vietnamese Historyyou are here371 h 15 min60,000 VND; kids and students free—
Cu Chi Tunnels352 h 30 min≈ 90,000–110,000 VND36.6 km

A morning in old Saigon: museum, cathedral, post office, opera

The History Museum at opening, a walk down Lê Duẩn to Notre-Dame and the Central Post Office, then the Opera House before lunch. Add it to your route and YesGo sets the times and walks.

  1. Museum of Vietnamese Historyyou are here1 h 15 min · 60,000 VND; kids and students free
  2. 19 min walk from the previous stopNotre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon20 min · Free; inside only during Mass
  3. 3 min walk from the previous stopSaigon Central Post Office30 min · Free
  4. 9 min walk from the previous stopSaigon Opera House30 min · Free outside; inside with a show ticket

4 places · about 3 h 6 min with walks · 31 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on your route

Saigon Central Post Office

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30 min · Free · 17 min walk

Saigon Opera House

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

30 min · Free outside; inside with a show ticket · 19 min walk

Bitexco Financial Tower

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1 h · 240,000 VND · 26 min walk

How to do it right

  • Arrive at 8:00 on a weekday to beat both the groups and the heat.
  • Don’t aim for 11:00 — the museum closes for lunch from 11:30 to 13:00.
  • From the street, use Gate 2: you pay for the museum only, no zoo ticket.
  • Heading to Angkor or Hoi An? Start with the Champa, Oc Eo and Cambodian galleries.
  • Ask at the desk about water puppets — if there’s a show that day, it’s short and easy to fit in.
  • From the museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral is a 20-minute walk straight down Lê Duẩn.

Questions

How much is the entrance fee for the History Museum in Ho Chi Minh City?

60,000 VND for adults, the same for everyone. Children aged 6–16, pupils and students get in free with ID. Older guides still say 30,000 VND.

What are the opening hours?

Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00–11:30 and 13:00–17:00. Closed on Mondays and over the 11:30–13:00 lunch break.

Do I need a zoo ticket to visit the museum?

Not if you come from the street: the museum has its own Gate 2 and ticket desk at 2 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm. Gate 1 connects to the zoo, but using it means you’ve already paid for the zoo.

How do I get to the History Museum?

Walk 20–25 minutes from Notre-Dame Cathedral along Lê Duẩn, take a Grab (5–15 minutes), or ride Metro Line 1 to Ba Son and walk about 10 minutes.

Is the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum worth visiting?

Yes for ancient history and art: the Champa and Oc Eo galleries are excellent and the ticket is cheap. With one day in the city and no interest in archaeology, skip it.

How long do you need at the museum?

60–90 minutes for the main galleries; half a day if you add the zoo and gardens.

Are there water puppet shows at the museum?

A water puppet stage is marked on the museum’s plan, but no schedule or price is published. Ask at the desk on the day.

What are the highlights?

Dong Son bronze drums, Champa and Oc Eo sculpture including national treasures, Buddhist statues from across Asia and a 19th-century mummy from old Saigon.

Is it the same as the National Museum of History in Hanoi?

No. That museum is in Hanoi. This is the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, often called the Museum of Vietnamese History, by the Saigon Zoo.

Is the museum good for kids?

Older kids enjoy the drums and statues, and ages 6–16 go free. Pair it with the zoo next door; the mummy room may upset little ones.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, official site: admission and concessions, fee notice, hours, address, gallery and gate plan, permanent galleries, history, buses
  • Museum’s older site (baotanglichsuvn.com): hours and holiday opening
  • Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, official site: ticket prices and hours
  • English Wikipedia: Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History; Vietnamese Wikipedia: Bảo tàng Lịch sử Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh; Wikidata Q6941045
  • Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (SGGP): national treasures at the museum
  • Michelin guide and penang-traveltips.com: Dong Son drums
  • VnExpress International and Legend Travel Group: walking from Ba Son metro station
  • Lonely Planet: water puppet shows at the museum (older listing)
  • nashaplaneta.net: ticket desk closing time
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 05.11.2026 ·
How we checkedPrice, concessions, hours, closing day, address, gates, ticket desks and galleries come from the museum’s official site. The fee recently rose from 30,000 to 60,000 VND; guides still quote the old figure, and we follow the museum’s notice. The afternoon start differs: the current site says 13:00, the older one 13:30; we use 13:00. That Gate 2 needs no zoo ticket is our reading of the official site plan, so it is marked unofficial. Ticket desk closing at 16:30, the walk from the metro and the bus routes are unofficial. A water puppet stage appears on the plan but there is no schedule, so we don’t repeat old show times. Gallery, treasure and collection counts are from the museum’s site plus a second source.

Top YesGo picks: Ho Chi Minh City

Independence Palace

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1 h 15 min · 40,000–80,000 VND

Ben Thanh Market

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1 h · Free entry

War Remnants Museum

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1 h 30 min · 60,000 VND; concessions 30,000

Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

2 h 30 min · ≈ 90,000–110,000 VND

Mekong Delta

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4 h · Day tour from $25

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