Independence Palace
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City
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Photo: Prenn, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Ticket desk
- Closes at 17:00
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Hours
- Daily 7:30–17:30, no lunch break
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h 30 min
- With kids
- Better without small kids
- Admission
- 60,000 VND standard ticket
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Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator. - Half price
- 30,000 VND for concessions under Vietnamese law
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Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator. - Under 6
- Free (stated before the price rise; confirm at the desk)
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Closed
- No closing day
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From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Online tickets
- On the museum’s official site: pick a time, pay, QR code by email
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Confirmed by an official source: the venue, a ministry or the operator. - Address
- 28 Võ Văn Tần, Xuân Hòa ward (old District 3)
- Audio guide
- Unofficial: rented by the entrance; quoted prices vary
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Payment
- Cash in VND is safest at the desk; card acceptance unconfirmed
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Metro
- Line 1, Ben Thanh station — 15–20 minutes on foot
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Key facts
60,000 VNDstandard ticket after the city’s museum fee increase
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Museum’s official online ticket deskjunglebosstours.com7:30–17:30open every day with no lunch break; ticket desk closes at 17:00
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Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (SGGP) newspaperjunglebosstours.com90–120 mina sensible amount of time for an unhurried visit
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YesGo estimatejunglebosstours.com (2–3 hours if you read everything)30,000 VNDhalf-price ticket for concessions under Vietnamese law
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Museum’s official online ticket desk28 Võ Văn Tầnmain entrance address, Xuân Hòa ward
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SGGPEnglish WikipediaQR codeonline tickets arrive by email, so you skip the ticket queue
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SGGP (Vietnamese and English editions)1975the year the museum opened
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English WikipediaSGGP1995the year it took its current name
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English WikipediaWikidata5–10 minon foot from the Independence Palace
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Unofficial: oxalisadventure.com, idctravel.comWhat is the War Remnants Museum?
The War Remnants Museum — Bảo tàng Chứng tích Chiến tranh in Vietnamese — is a large history museum in central Ho Chi Minh City with exhibitions on 20th-century history. It sits on Võ Văn Tần street in the old District 3, one block from the Independence Palace.
It’s one of the most visited museums in the city and usually paired with the palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral on a first day in Saigon. Expect a multi-storey building, a courtyard and galleries with Vietnamese and English captions.
We deliberately don’t summarise what’s inside. This page sticks to what you need for the visit: tickets, hours, timing, getting there and what to do next. Decide in advance whether you’re up for a difficult subject, and leave small children out of it.
How much are tickets?
A standard ticket costs 60,000 VND and a half-price concession ticket 30,000 VND, according to the museum’s official online ticket desk. Ho Chi Minh City recently raised fees at its city museums, so many blogs and guides still quote the old 40,000 VND.
Concessions and free entry follow Vietnamese law. Before the increase, SGGP reported free entry for under-6s and half price for students; whether a foreign student card counts isn’t stated, so bring it and ask.
You can pay at the desk by the entrance — Vietnamese dong in cash is the safe choice, since the museum doesn’t say whether cards are taken. Or buy online on the official site: choose a time slot, pay, and a QR code arrives by email to scan at the gate. In high season that saves a queue. Grab, for getting there, takes cash or a foreign card in the app.
Opening hours and the best time to go
The museum opens every day from 7:30 to 17:30 with no lunch break, and the ticket desk closes at 17:00. Those are the hours SGGP published when online ticketing launched; older guides mention a midday closure or an 18:00 finish, which are out of date.
Go at opening, 7:30–8:00: the galleries are calmer and the street heat hasn’t built yet. Tour groups tend to arrive late morning. The last hour works too, but walking in at 17:00 leaves you only 30 minutes.
There’s no weekly closing day, and guides say it also opens on public holidays. Big Vietnamese holidays bring noticeably bigger crowds, so arrive early if your dates fall on one.
How long do you need?
Allow 90 minutes to two hours for an unhurried visit; reading every caption can stretch it to three hours. Less than an hour rarely works, as the galleries spread over several floors plus the courtyard.
Budget energy as well as time. The subject is heavy and plenty of visitors run out of steam before the last room — that’s fine. Step into the courtyard, take a break and decide whether to carry on. With one day in the city, do the museum in the morning and keep the afternoon for lighter sights.
Audio guide, bags and house rules
- Audio guide — unofficially, it’s rented just inside the main entrance on the left. Quoted prices range from 20,000 to 40,000 VND, sometimes with a deposit; the museum doesn’t publish a price or language list, so check on the day.
- Bags — there’s no official word on a cloakroom. Don’t turn up with a suitcase or a big backpack; leave luggage at the hotel.
- House rules are published on the museum’s website. Behave as you would at any memorial museum: keep voices down and skip loud selfies in the galleries.
- Captions are in Vietnamese and English; the English ones are often short, which is where an audio guide helps.
- Water — bring a bottle; the upper floors can feel stuffy on hot afternoons.
Is it suitable for kids?
The content is difficult, so the museum is better suited to adults and older teenagers. Young children will find it hard going, and it isn’t a good fit for primary-school age. It’s a parent’s call: if in doubt, go through it yourself first or pick a different stop for the family.
Better options with kids in Ho Chi Minh City include the History Museum by the zoo and botanical gardens, the Independence Palace and its grounds, or a walk around downtown.
How to get to the War Remnants Museum
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Independence Palace is about 12 min away on foot.
- Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon is about 14 min away on foot.
- Saigon Central Post Office is about 15 min away on foot.
More tips
- Walk from Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office — unofficially about 10–15 minutes west, past the park around the Independence Palace. The museum is on the corner of Võ Văn Tần and Lê Quý Đôn.
- From the Independence Palace — 5–10 minutes on foot; the museum is one block north, across Võ Văn Tần.
- From Ben Thanh Market — about 1.2–1.3 km, 15–20 minutes on foot. Metro Line 1’s Ben Thanh station is under the square by the market; walk the same way from there.
- Grab or taxi — 5–10 minutes from downtown. Search ‘Bảo tàng Chứng tích Chiến tranh’ or 28 Võ Văn Tần. Grab takes cash or a foreign card in the app.
- From Tan Son Nhat airport — 25–40 minutes by Grab or taxi, depending on traffic.
What to do afterwards
Plan a gentle reset. The Independence Palace and its big lawns are 5–10 minutes away, and beyond them the square with Notre-Dame and the Central Post Office, plus Book Street and its cafés.
For something lighter still, have an iced coffee and lunch, then browse Ben Thanh Market or stroll Nguyen Hue walking street by the Opera House in the evening. Don’t stack another heavy trip straight after: the Cu Chi Tunnels are better on a different day.
Is the War Remnants Museum worth visiting?
Yes, if you’re ready for a difficult subject and want context on the country’s 20th century. It’s central, cheap, open every day and one of the city’s key museums.
Skip it if you’re travelling with young children, if a heavy subject isn’t what you need on this trip, or if you have half a day and would rather see the city itself. In that case, the palace, the cathedral and the post office are close together and give a good feel for downtown.
War Remnants Museum or History Museum?
| War Remnants Museumyou are here | History museum, 20th century | 60,000 VND; concessions 30,000 | Daily 7:30–17:30 | No closing day | None | 90–120 minutes | Better for adults and older teens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History Museum | Ancient cultures, dynasties, Asian art | 60,000 VND; ages 6–16 and students free | Tue–Sun 8:00–11:30 and 13:00–17:00 | Monday | 11:30–13:00 | 60–90 minutes | Works well, zoo next door |
Prices are from the museums’ official ticket desks and sites; War Remnants Museum hours are from SGGP.
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 Saigon | 46 | 20 min | Free | 14 min walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saigon Central Post Office | 45 | 30 min | Free | 15 min walk |
| Independence Palace | 45 | 1 h 15 min | 40,000–80,000 VND | 8 min walk |
| Saigon Opera House | 44 | 30 min | Free | 21 min walk |
| Ben Thanh Market | 43 | 1 h | Free | 18 min walk |
| War Remnants Museumyou are here | 41 | 1 h 30 min | 60,000 VND; concessions 30,000 | — |
| Museum of Vietnamese History | 37 | 1 h 15 min | 60,000 VND; kids and students free | 31 min walk |
| Cu Chi Tunnels | 35 | 2 h 30 min | ≈ 90,000–110,000 VND | 36.2 km |
A downtown morning: museum, palace, cathedral, post office
The museum at opening, five minutes to the Independence Palace and its gardens, on to Notre-Dame and the Central Post Office, and Ben Thanh Market by lunchtime. Add it to your route and YesGo sets the times and walks.
- War Remnants Museumyou are here1 h 30 min · 60,000 VND; concessions 30,000
- 8 min walk from the previous stopIndependence Palace1 h 15 min · 40,000–80,000 VND
- 9 min walk from the previous stopNotre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon20 min · Free; inside only during Mass
- 3 min walk from the previous stopSaigon Central Post Office30 min · Free
- 15 min walk from the previous stopBen Thanh Market1 h · Free entry
5 places · about 5 h 10 min with walks · 35 min on foot in total
Nearby and on your route
Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Saigon Central Post Office
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ben Thanh Market
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
How to do it right
- Arrive at 7:30: quiet, cooler and no groups yet.
- The ticket desk shuts at 17:00 — after 16:00 you’re short on time.
- Older guides say 40,000 VND; the ticket is now 60,000 VND.
- Carry dong in cash for the desk; card payment there isn’t confirmed.
- Leave a couple of free hours afterwards for something easy, like the gardens of the Independence Palace or a café.
- The museum and the Independence Palace are 5–10 minutes apart — an easy pairing for one morning.
Questions
How much is the War Remnants Museum entrance fee?
60,000 VND for a standard ticket and 30,000 VND for concessions under Vietnamese law. Older guides still quote 40,000 VND, the price before the increase.
What are the War Remnants Museum opening hours?
Daily from 7:30 to 17:30 with no lunch break. The ticket desk closes at 17:00.
Is the War Remnants Museum open on Mondays?
Yes. It has no weekly closing day; big Vietnamese holidays are busier, so arrive early.
How long do you need at the War Remnants Museum?
90 minutes to two hours for an unhurried visit, up to three hours if you read every caption.
Is the War Remnants Museum suitable for children?
The content is difficult, so it’s better for adults and older teens. With young children, choose a different sight.
How do I get to the War Remnants Museum?
Walk 5–10 minutes from the Independence Palace or 15–20 minutes from Ben Thanh Market and metro station, or take a Grab (5–10 minutes from downtown). The address is 28 Võ Văn Tần.
Can I buy tickets online?
Yes, on the museum’s official site: pick a time, pay and get a QR code by email. At the desk, cash in VND is the safe bet.
Is there an audio guide?
Unofficially, yes — it’s rented near the entrance; quoted prices vary and a deposit may be asked. Check on the day.
Is the War Remnants Museum worth it?
Yes, if you’re ready for a difficult subject and want context on 20th-century Vietnam. If you’re with young kids or want a light day, do the palace, cathedral and a downtown walk instead.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- War Remnants Museum, official online ticket desk: standard and concession prices, how online tickets work
- Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (SGGP), Vietnamese and English editions: hours, ticket desk closing, address, online tickets, previous price and concessions
- junglebosstours.com: new price and hours, time needed, walk from Ben Thanh Market
- English Wikipedia: War Remnants Museum; Russian Wikipedia: Музей жертв войны; Wikidata Q703871
- oxalisadventure.com, idctravel.com, local-insider.com: walk from the Independence Palace, audio guide (unofficial)
- YesGo notes on Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City: payment, Grab, metro, airport
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