Things to see and do Hanoi

In the past, this building was the printing house of the Far East. In Art Deco style, it is signed G.-A. Trouvé.

The museum is located in the immediate vicinity of the Temple of Literature, in a building where East and West mingle. Built in the 1930s, it housed the Jeanne d'Arc boarding school, a renowned girls' high school in colonial times. After the refurbishment of the premises, the museum was inaugurated on 6 June 1966. Covering more than 4,700^m2, the works on display cover a period from prehistory to the present day. A rare opportunity for those interested in Vietnamese art to be offered a panorama that is both chronological and embraces all techniques (ceramics, sculpture, lacquer, painting on silk, mulberry paper, popular arts...). However, it should be noted that the museum has been the subject of several controversies due to the large number of copies that would be presented there. The integrity of the collections has suffered greatly from successive wars, but also from corruption. Many of the original works have made a tortuous path to the galleries of Tokyo, Hong Kong or Singapore .

For prehistory, human and animal figures discovered in the Dong Noi cave (Lac Thuy district, Hoa Binh province), dated 10,000 years ago and considered to be "the first Vietnamese plastic work". The Dao Tinh bronze jar (Yen Bay Province), dated 2,500 years ago, is a national relic. It reflects the different aspects of the Dông Son civilization (dwellings, funeral rites, spiritual life, etc.), which for Vietnamese historians is at the origin of Vietnamese identity. In the main hall, dated from the 18thcentury, a superb Goddess of Mercy, a goddess with "a thousand eyes, a thousand arms", a lacquered wooden work that testifies to the skill and technical level of the craftsmen of the time. The room most appreciated by visitors is the one dedicated to the painters of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, which paved the way for a specifically Vietnamese style of modern art, emancipating itself from the influences of Western and Chinese painting. Major works: the lacquers of Nguyen Gia Tri (1908-1993), the oil paintings of To Ngoc Van (1906-1954), the paintings and engravings of the painter Tran Van Can (1910-1994), the works of Bui Xuân Phai (1921-1988), a painter who is to Hanoi what Toulouse-Lautrec was to 19th century Paris. He drew his inspiration from the old streets of Hanoi. In addition to the permanent collections, the museum presents temporary exhibitions.

The museum was built on the site granted by the Vietnamese authorities to France in 1874. On the site of the museum was once the headquarters of the French Consulate, which was transformed into the Hotel du Résident de France until 1887. The present building, designed by Ernest Hébrard, chief architect of the General Government of Indochina, was built between 1926 and 1930 and completed in 1932. It is an example of the style of Indochinese architecture, of which Hébrard was the founder, which combines the technical standards and aesthetics of French architecture of that time with those of traditional Vietnamese architecture. Former museum of the French School of the Far East (Musée Louis-Finot, named after the first director of the school: see the abbreviation of the Efeo stamped on the sides of the octagonal entrance pavilion), it is, since 1954 and the withdrawal of the French, dedicated to the history of Vietnam from its prehistoric origins to the proclamation in 1945 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It was plundered and stolen before being restructured.

Among the most important pieces are impressive bronze drums, testimony to the culture of Dong Son (named after the village in northern Vietnam where they were exhumed). The museum also presents statues, reliefs and terracotta objects, some of which are among the oldest testimonies of Champa (from the^5th to the 13th century). Less spectacular than the gigantic statues, but essential for the work of historians, several steles : foundation stele from the Cham shrine of Po Nagar in Nha Trang and stele from the Cham shrine of My Son dating from 731, stele of Vinh Lang, whose engraved text was composed by Nguyên Trai (1380-1442), national hero, strategist and man of letters, political and military adviser to Le Loi (1385-1433), who repelled the Chinese invader and became Emperor Le Thai Tô.

The museum often organizes temporary exhibitions of great interest, but the means are lacking to present remarkable archaeological remains and discoveries in a modern way.

Another building (216, Tran Quang Khai or 25, Tong Dan) is devoted to modern history from 1858 to the present day. Installed in the former Indochina Mining Museum, it recounts in detail the history of the anti-colonial struggle, its hidden phases, the origins of the heroes of the revolution, their studies, their lives... How the spark of the revolt left Paris, Hong Kong or Beijing.

Inaugurated on 6 October 2010 as part of Hanoi's millennium celebrations, the museum was designed by the German architectural firm von Gerkan, Marg und Partner. It affects the shape of an upside-down pyramid 30.7 m high, stretching over 54,000 m² (5,000 sq ft) spread over 6 floors including 2 basements. Access to the exhibition spaces is via a spiral ramp. The museum displays artefacts from the history of Hanoi, and more broadly of Vietnam. The museum is rarely visited, due to the lack of attractive activities and an educational presentation of the exhibits.

It is very pleasant to frequent its shady alleys, which have very beautiful trees, including a banyan tree planted by Ho Chi Minh himself. It is necessary, at least once, to get up at dawn and try the experience of morning gymnastics. From 5:30 am, there is a crowd in the park: from 7 to 77 years old and over, everyone can try their hand at physical fitness according to their means. Before the frenzy takes hold of the city, everyone draws on the breath of the tall trees to gain the energy needed for the day ahead.

This agency offers fun tours of Hanoi and the surrounding area in a jeep. Various tours are available: The Inside Hanoi allows you to discover the different facets of the city and its must-see monuments, while the Hanoi Jeep Street Food Tour offers a taste of Hanoi's gastronomic classics, as well as the city's culture. The Hanoi Red River Delta Tour allows you to explore the villages and nature around the Red River, while the Ba Vi National Park Tour is a one-day nature tour.

This superb pagoda is a fine example of traditional architecture and religious syncretism of the time. A stele indicates that it was founded in 1632 by Ngoc Dong,^third rank concubine of Lord Trinh Trang. Other sources indicate the previous presence of a place of worship which they date back to the Trân dynasty. The pagoda is remarkable because of its roof which descends very low. It houses 257 lacquered statues, half in jackfruit wood and half in terracotta, as well as a beautiful bronze bell from 1743.