Hanoi has a lot to offer as far as museums go. We went to three: The Fine Arts Museum, Hao Lo Prison and The Women’s Museum. Take a closer look at those three and let me tell you more information about the other Hanoi Museums.
⋙ Vietnam Fine Arts Museum ⋘
66 Nguyễn Thái Học, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Vietnam
Open: 8:30 – 5, Daily / Admission: $1.35
This museum contains a beautiful collection of arts that depict the Vietnamese culture and a lot of iconography from Buddishm that are truly spectacular.
Dancing Girl from the 4th – 5th century
Elephants from 6th – 7th century
Dragons Turning to the Lotus Flower from the 9th century
Representations of the Bodhisattva Avalokisteshvara
Buddha Shakyamuni both from the 18th century
Young Girls in the Garden
Fishing in the Moonlight
Procession to the Pagoda
Procession to the Pagoda – detail
Guerrilla with a Bamboo Hat
Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Complex
In the Mangrove
Long Sleep
Long Sleep – Detail
Living Space
You absolutely cannot beat this deal. For less than two dollars we got to see so many amazing works of art and pieces of vietnamese culture.
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⋙ Hao Lo Prison ⋘
Hoả Lò, Trần Hưng Đạo, Hoàn Kiếm
Open: 8 – 5, Daily / Admission: is Around $0.70
The Hao Lo Prison, the same prison that was ironically dubbed the “Hanoi Hilton” by American POWs from the Vietnam War. Although, this is what I went to see the museum for, most of the museum was dedicated to its use in the 1950’s during Vietnam’s struggle for independence from the French. Just to warn you: some of the photos are graphic and can be a bit startling.
The entrance which still has its old French name “Maison Central” which means Central House.
This is the original door and the uniforms worn by the Vietnamese prisoners
Vietnamese prisoners
This is a piece of the old plumbing that a handful of men escaped by crawling through.
Vietnamese riots against the French
This image was quite shocking – women’s heads were put on display as a warning. These are some of the horrors of war and imperialism – no matter who is the one taking over.
These are some of the women who were killed in this prison
An example of the cells
Looking into the cells through the gated windows.
The memorial wall of the Vietnamese who were killed or suffered here.
The memorial wall of the Vietnamese who were killed or suffered here.
On to the American POW Section of Prison. This was really interesting to see because I’ve always heard the stories of torture by POWs, especially John McCain. I even googled more about it the night I visited the prison to make sure I was remembering correctly, but the displays here were full of tales of the pride they had in the way they treated their prisoners. It was such an odd feeling to hear such a different perspective.
Prisoner’s uniforms and toiletries that were provided
Bed for American POWs
John McCain’s flight suit and parachute
Vietnamese men swam out into the lake to pull John McCain from the lake where they said his arms were already broken and doctors carefully treated him
A Thanksgiving Dinner for the POWs
A Doctor caring for John McCain
John McCain’s visit to the prison.
A photo of the original size of the prison. It was so massive!
Visiting Hoa Lo Prison was such an interesting experience. It brought up feeling of sadness and confusion, but I think that even the worst experiences are best to be remembered because there is something that we can learn from them.
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⋙ Vietnamese Women’s Museum ⋘
36 Lý Thường Kiệt, Hang Bai ward, Hoàn Kiếm
Open: 8 – 5, daily / Admission: $1.35
I really loved this museum because it really put the women that we saw guiding tours, selling fruits on the street, begging and working in museums into perspective. I loved getting a look at the women who fought for their independence, who work for their children and understanding more about how they fit into their role in society.
Gift boxes
These are examples of traditional wedding costumes from different cultures within Vietnam. [Above & Below]
Amulets
Above and below are examples of propaganda posters from the Vietnam War years (this was a favorite exhibit of mine. In with these were stories of female war heroes. So interesting!)
From here down are examples of Mother Goddess celebrations, costumes and worship!
This museum was a bit more difficult to express through photos as many of the exhibits were videos, sound clips and a lot of reading. It is the perfect place to really start to get an understanding of the role of women in the cultures within Vietnam. This was favorite museum of mine.
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Other museums in Hanoi (that I did not visit) include:
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Open: 8:30 – 9:30, Tuesday – Sunday / Admission: $1.80
National Museum of Vietnamese History
Open: 8 – noon & 1:30 – 5, daily / Admission: $0.89
Vietnam Military History Museum
8:30 – 11 & 1 – 4:30, Closed Mon & Fri / Admission: $1.34
Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution
Open: 8 – noon & 1:30 – 5, daily / Admission: $0.89
Ho Chi Minh Museum
8:30 – 11 & 1 – 4:30, Closed Mon & Fri / Admission: $1.12
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