Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum

A mansion that holds more than 20,000 works of art and two national treasures in lacquer

01. History and development Founded in 1987 and open to visitors from 1989. The museum occupies a mansion complex that once belonged to the Hui Bon Hoa family (Uncle Hoa), built in a style that blends Asian and European elements. The complex consists of buildings bearing several different architectural imprints, including the front building designed by the French architect Auguste Delaval and the rear wing designed by the architect Nguyen Ba Lang. In 2023 the museum was awarded Grade I status within Vietnam's museum system. 02. Collection & Displays The museum holds more than 22,000 objects, spread across three buildings with distinct main themes. - The first building presents modern fine art, with works by painters of the Indochina Fine Arts College and pieces created before and after 1975. - The second building is devoted to thematic collections and displays by individual artist. - The third building focuses on ancient and pre-modern art, arranged by material such as stone, ceramic, wood and bronze. 03. Highlights - The old mansion of Uncle Hoa: the building itself is worth exploring, combining European architecture with East Asian elements. The museum still has its wooden lift cabin shaped like a palanquin, a rare architectural detail that has been preserved. - Two national treasures: "Spring Garden of the Centre, South and North" by Nguyen Gia Tri and "Youths of the Bronze Citadel" by Nguyen Sang are both landmark lacquer works, helping visitors picture more clearly the place of lacquer in modern Vietnamese art. - The Le Ba Dang art space: opened at the end of 2024, it presents 27 works selected from the collection donated by Mr and Mrs Le Tat Luyen and Thuy Khue. The space is designed with a cave-like inspiration, creating an experience unlike the usual display rooms. 04. Good to know - Visitors should dress decently, walk softly and speak quietly so as not to disturb the viewing experience of those around them. - You may use a phone to take photographs, but flash, selfie sticks, tripods and other accessories are not allowed, and you should not stand in one fixed spot for more than 15 seconds when taking pictures. - The museum charges a fee for photography and filming with devices other than phones; please check the rules in advance if you intend to use them. 05. Visitor information - Ticket: 30,000 VND per person per visit. Pupils and students (with a card): 15,000 VND per person per visit. - Free admission for children under 6 and for people over 60. - How to buy tickets: purchase directly at the museum's ticket counter.

English text: machine translation from the Localis platform — proper names kept in Vietnamese.