4 Best Sights in Hanoi, Vietnam

With English commentary on the propagandistic and occasionally bizarre exhibits, this museum is a must-see on the Uncle Ho circuit. A collection of manifestos, military orders, correspondence, and photographs from the Communist Party's early days to the present are mixed with historical exhibits covering Vietnam's revolutionary history, the fight against fascism, Ho's revolutionary world movement, and Vietnam's struggle against imperialism.

The elaborate network of paths of the Ho Chi Minh Trail was used by North Vietnam to transport supplies to Vietcong strongholds in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum (Bao Tang Duong Mon Ho Chi Minh) provides color on the trail, one of the war's most riveting symbols of dedication and perseverance. Renovated in 2017, the museum is decidedly more modern. Displays are heavy on photojournalism from the period. There's also an extensive collection of captured American ordnance and military equipment as well as personal artifacts such as helmets, IDs, and uniforms. This museum lies some distance outside of Hanoi's Old Quarter and can be hard to find, so it's best if you hire a taxi or car and driver.

Built in 1926 to house the French tax office, this cavernous museum opened its doors in 1959 and now has 29 halls, individual rooms that focus on specific events or periods in Vietnam's arduous road to independence. The focus naturally lands on the country's efforts against French colonialism, Japanese fascism, and American imperialism. The photographs from the 1945 August Revolution are particularly interesting. History buffs may do better here than at the National Museum of Vietnamese History just across the street: almost all of the exhibits here have English and French commentary, so a few hours of exploration can be a great learning experience.

Opened in 1932 by the French, this building has served in its present capacity since 1958, when it was turned it over to Hanoi authorities. The ground floor houses treasures from early history, particularly Vietnam's Bronze Age. Of special interest are the Ngoc Lu bronze drums, vestiges of this period some 3,000 years ago that have become enduring national Vietnamese symbols. Tools from the Paleolithic Age are on display, as are ceramics from the Ly and Tran dynasties. Painstakingly elaborate but somewhat corny dioramas depict various Vietnamese victories over hostile invaders. Upstairs, exhibits focus on more recent Vietnamese history. Standouts include 18th- to 20th-century bronze bells and khanh gongs (crescent-shape, decorative gongs); Nguyen-dynasty lacquered thrones, altars, and "parallel sentence" boards (Chinese calligraphy on lacquered wood carved into shapes of cucumbers, melons, and banana leaves); and an entire wing devoted to 7th- to 13th-century Champa stone carvings.

As you explore the museum, be sure to consult the English-language brochure you are given with the purchase of your entrance ticket, as the information it contains about the exhibits is nearly the only information on hand. Displays provide little explanatory text, even in Vietnamese, and English-language translation is lacking. It's possible to arrange English-speaking museum guides in advance.