If you’re familiar with my blog, you would know by now that I am a huge fan of visiting museums in different countries. Hence, I couldn’t pass up the chance to visit the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.
What to see at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum
As the name suggests, the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum is where some of the most important works of Vietnam’s fine arts (including 9 National Treasure)–are gathered and are honoured. It showcases the country’s fine arts from a range of historical periods and is the country’s primary art museum. Ho Chi Minh also boasts another smaller museum called the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts. Unfortunately we didn’t visit that, but I’ll update if we ever do!
The museum is easily spotted from afar, thanks to the outstanding 1937 French colonial building it is housed in. The museum’s architecture is a very unique blend of European elegance and Vietnamese cultural elements. It was originally constructed as a boarding school for French officials’ daughters. A cool nod to its colonial days!
I’m not sure if this is a very popular museum among the locals. We visited on a day when some students were on a school trip, so it did get pretty crowded.
In comparison to other art museums, I would say this is fairly small with just over 3,000 square meters across three floors.
However, the museum’s collection is actually pretty vast and diverse! They grouped all the exhibits according to the different eras, with special attention given to notable local artists. This is a glimpse of what you can look forward to in the museum:
- Prehistoric to 19th Century: Early sculptures, Champa and Funan artifacts, and Buddhist relics.
- 20th Century: Artworks reflecting Vietnam’s history, including wartime propaganda and themes of patriotism.
- Modern & Contemporary: Abstract and impressionist pieces showcasing the nation’s evolving artistic expressions.
My personal favourites at the museum were the artworks reflecting the war period. Art was used as a medium by many artists of those days to record the atrocities. They also used art to express their anger and sadness of the times. Along with the exhibits at the War Remnants Museum, it spurred my keen interest to learn more about the Vietnam War.
Other than your usual artworks, the museum also displays religious statues and effigies. As with many historical art pieces, religion plays a huge role.
Art was (is?) also a way for people to express their religious beliefs. Hence the statues and effigies naturally find their way into an art museum.
Do note that much of the museum is not air-conditioned and can get very stifling in hotter weather!
I do find it a bit puzzling that this art museum doesn’t have air-conditioning in most galleries. Only selected ones (I think with more expensive or ‘precious’ artwork) have it. Throughout the rest of the museum, they only offer electric fans blowing at the visitors. I’m not sure if the heat and humidity will ruin the artworks in the long run?
Is it worth visiting the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum?
While I did enjoy the selection of art pieces up for exhibit, the overall experience was a bit lacking.
The (lack of) air-conditioning, for one, was certainly quite a downer. And I’m saying this as someone who has lived through her fair share of hot and humid weather.
I also found the layout a bit messy and haphazard, so you can’t really tell why the artworks are arranged or displayed as such. Sometimes it feels like you’re just viewing anything that’s in sight with no idea what’s really going on.
To be fair, the entrance fee was just 40,000 VND. Hence, I understand there may be constraints in operating the museum. However, it does impact the viewing experience and raises questions on how well-preserved and well-kept these precious art pieces will be.
All in all, I do think it’s still worth spending some time here. But as someone who has already visited before, I don’t think I’ll be back.
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- What It Means When You Dream About Visiting a Museum
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DIRECTIONS
Address: 66 P. Nguyễn Thái Học, Điện Biên, Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Vietnam
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