Museum of Ethnology: A Peek at Vietnam's 54 Ethnic Groups

Not just a museum but also a research centre, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi is one of the places you must include in your itinerary.

This circular building gives you a very interesting peek at Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups with their unique crafts, fabrics, houses, and other traditions.

The largest ethnic group in Vietnam are the Kihn (Viet). They comprise 86.2% of the population. Then, the Tay (1.9%), Tai (1.7%), Murong (1.5%), Khmer Krom (1.4%), Hoa (1.1%), Nuns (1.1%), Hmong (1%) and much smaller groups.

Traditional Bamboocraft. Copyright: aesta1

Often, you can enjoy in this museum traditional performances as well as learn some of Vietnam's traditional crafts.

It has also a bookstore where you can get books on Vietnamese culture often not found in other bookstores. There is also the shop which sells some of the crafts of the ethnic groups.

Ethnic display at Vietnam's Museum of Ethnology. Copyright: aesta1

As you enter the Museum, this display greets you. You can look up and see some of the second floor displays. It is quite a stunning design.

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Copyright: aesta1

In front of the museum is this garden designed to follow the building's circular shape. With the use of the water and circular shaped plants, it is a fitting invitation to ethnic life and a welcome oasis from the busy streets of Hanoi.

Entrance to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology Copyright: aesta1

How to find this museum:
Museum is opened except Monday.
Nguyễn Văn Huyên, Nghĩa Đô, Cầu Giấy, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel. (84-4) 3756 2193

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