The place that best accounts for Vietnam’s thousands of years of history is set in one of the capital city’s finest buildings. The National Museum of Vietnamese History offers a refreshing break from the war and propaganda that most Hanoi museums provide as the museum focuses of the country’s pre-20th Century era.

The building of the Museum of Vietnamese History is a magnificent illustration of Indochinese architecture, which was witnessed until the 1910 French consulate. The building was previously used as the residence of then Governor Generals as well. Over time, the building deteriorated through the years up until the early 1930s when it went through a seven-year long renovation. Today, the magnificently constructed building invites visitors to a striking two-storey rotunda that remains as the entrance to the spectacular exhibit and galleries of the museum. …