Hochiminh Museum Hanoi, HCMC Museum Saigon (Video)
Written by Don Pugh
Wednesday, 30 August 2006
The Ho Chi Minh Museum (08.00 to 11.30 and 14.00 to 16.30, closed Monday and Friday p.m.) A large white building, innovatively -designed and built with Russian aid, houses Vietnam’s definitive museum dedicated to the life and times of the great leader. Documents, photographs, artefacts and tableaux are well designed to trace Ho’s passage from birth to death, and the evolution of his philosophy and vision for Vietnam’s future.
Unfortunately, nearly everything is in Vietnamese and only a few of the museum staff speak anything other than their mother tongue, so an experienced guide fluent in your language is essential to make sense of it.
Ho Chi Minh City Museum Housed in the former building of the Government of Cochinchina, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum (formerly the Revolutionary Museum) contains artifacts, such as weapons, uniforms, medals and old photos, from the period of Communist struggle against the French and the Americans. Unfortunately, the exhibits are only labelled in Vietnamese but some are self-explanatory. Outside the museum is a collection of military hardware including a tank and a helicopter.
65 Ly Tu Trong, District 1 Tel: (08) 829 9743 or 829 9741. Opening hours: Daily 0800-1600. Admission charge.
