Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum
Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum
4
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Monday
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Friday
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
27 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
13
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
1
tumbleweeds023
Hanoi, Vietnam649 contributions
Nov 2020
A seldom visited museum on the southern outskirts of Hanoi that is surprisingly informative and well-curated. Staff is helpful and speaks English. Almost all signage and information is in both Vietnamese and English.
I had thought that the Ho Chi Minh Trail was a single road/path that was used to ferry supplies to the troops fighting in the American War. I didn't know that it actually consisted of 20,000 kilometers of roads, an oil pipeline, electricity and supply depots.
It starts out with a movie (also in either Vietnamese or English), then two floors of exhibits and an interesting outdoor area with exhibits, too. Well worth the (<$1) price of admission.
No need to take a taxi to get here - if you're staying in the Old Quarter, the #1, #2 and #9 buses all leave from Hoan Kiem Lake and take you to within 600 meters of the museum entrance.
If you want to understand Vietnam, what makes it tick, and the determination of her people, this is a good place to start. As others have mentioned, we had the place to ourselves. It's worth five stars.
I had thought that the Ho Chi Minh Trail was a single road/path that was used to ferry supplies to the troops fighting in the American War. I didn't know that it actually consisted of 20,000 kilometers of roads, an oil pipeline, electricity and supply depots.
It starts out with a movie (also in either Vietnamese or English), then two floors of exhibits and an interesting outdoor area with exhibits, too. Well worth the (<$1) price of admission.
No need to take a taxi to get here - if you're staying in the Old Quarter, the #1, #2 and #9 buses all leave from Hoan Kiem Lake and take you to within 600 meters of the museum entrance.
If you want to understand Vietnam, what makes it tick, and the determination of her people, this is a good place to start. As others have mentioned, we had the place to ourselves. It's worth five stars.
Written November 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tc Vagabond Foodhound.
26 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Good items of display and ok creation of themes. Faded signage and the film was a big missed opportunity.
The biggest issue is getting there. We were staying in the old quarter, like many tourists, and it’s a twenty minute taxi ride. Not horrible but we found many other things to do were walking distance.
It’s good but not a top destination imo
The biggest issue is getting there. We were staying in the old quarter, like many tourists, and it’s a twenty minute taxi ride. Not horrible but we found many other things to do were walking distance.
It’s good but not a top destination imo
Written April 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mel B
Hanoi, Vietnam3,190 contributions
Apr 2017 • Solo
Situated 15 or more kilometers from Hoàn Khiêm but walking distance from where I live and yet like most people I had never been there. When the metro opens it will only be 500 meters walk. A museum that ranks up near to the war remnants museum in Hcmc, which brought me to tears, but few people know it. Outdoor and indoor displays and a lot of upgrading going on when I visited. Very explanatory with lots of artifacts and many photos. A good exhibit on agent orange and a very good 20 minute video and lighted display of the hcm trails - they played it in English just for me. When I arrived it was packed with school kids but later I had the place to myself. My advice - see it before the metro opens as then it will become a major attraction.
Written April 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ArezzoNM
Albuquerque, NM114 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
The Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum (or Museum of the Ho Chi Minh Trail) is worth the long taxi ride to the suburbs of Hanoi if you are at all interested in the history of this war. It is a unique museum that documents a significant war strategy that helped the Vietnamese people win the war.This museum offers a fascinating look into the inner-workings of the 2000+ km trail that led the North Vietnamese army ultimately into Saigon. Many photos and displays document the absolutely incredible civil engineering feats, while exhibits show missile guidance systems, weapons, daily items, personal equipment, documents, and vehicles used on the trail. MY ADVICE: ask the museum attendant to show you the 20 minute educational film FIRST when you arrive before you go through the exhibits. The film and diorama display used during the film really gives you the perspective you need on the trail, the war and the items in the museum. The film is available in many languages. The room where it is shown has a huge diorama of the topographical map of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, showing the routes the Ho Chi Minh trail took and when the film describes the history of the trail the diorama lights up so you can see exactly where the trail was, the supply routes, etc. Very clever and informative display. The film is made of Vietnamese war film footage. There is also a model of the trail tunnels in the back garden which the museum guard will open for you. There is a small fee ($1 USD to get in) Allow about 1.5- 2 hours at the museum and about 45 minutes each way in taxi. If you want you can combine with a trip to the silk village, Van Phuc, nearby on the way back. The museum closes for lunch. Because it is so far out few people visit it.
Written March 31, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
julie-ann e
Adelaide, Australia11 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
This is a museum dedicated purely to the whole undertaking of the land-based Ho Chi Minh Trail - the amazingly complex and ingenious network of roads, river-routes, oil-pipes, and communication lines which kept supplies flowing from the north of Viet Nam to the occupied south, during the American War. As mentioned by another reviewer, the short film and accompanying lit-up diorama together give a really clear picture of the reasons for and workings of the Trail; the film uses US military footage as well as Vietnamese film from the time.
Apart from that there are two floors of memorabilia from the Trail; material captured from US troops, implements and equipment used by soldiers on the Trail, including home-made items such as musical instruments. Outside there are several vehicles used on the Trail, various trucks, bulldozer, anti-mine vehicle etc. Behind the Museum is a war memorial, especially noting the Hanoi soldiers who died on the Trail.
When we visited, the museum was undergoing some renovation; I enjoyed the way one staircase had been transformed with hanging vines etc into a mock-up of the Trail; while we were there some school-children were visiting, and I think it was for their sake that the staircase was enhanced with extra sound and light effects - bird-calls, gunfire, explosions. I don't know if this extra will be standard in the future or not. The renovations are scheduled to be completed in November 2017.
Note that in places, it is not an easy museum; there is a very measured, brief but grim account of the impact of Agent Orange and other defoliants, and two very confronting photographs taken by US journalists of their own troops with Vietnamese war dead.
Getting there: The museum is very close to the Yen Nghia Bus Station, some 45 minutes from town; several bus routes will take you there, but we went by the 02 bus, caught in Trang Thi street in central Hanoi. The bus station is the end of the journey, and the Museum is reasonably well signposted from the road in front; the first road to the left of the bus station runs to a military base; turn right at that point and the museum is about fifty yards further on. Entry fee: 20.000 VND per person.
Apart from that there are two floors of memorabilia from the Trail; material captured from US troops, implements and equipment used by soldiers on the Trail, including home-made items such as musical instruments. Outside there are several vehicles used on the Trail, various trucks, bulldozer, anti-mine vehicle etc. Behind the Museum is a war memorial, especially noting the Hanoi soldiers who died on the Trail.
When we visited, the museum was undergoing some renovation; I enjoyed the way one staircase had been transformed with hanging vines etc into a mock-up of the Trail; while we were there some school-children were visiting, and I think it was for their sake that the staircase was enhanced with extra sound and light effects - bird-calls, gunfire, explosions. I don't know if this extra will be standard in the future or not. The renovations are scheduled to be completed in November 2017.
Note that in places, it is not an easy museum; there is a very measured, brief but grim account of the impact of Agent Orange and other defoliants, and two very confronting photographs taken by US journalists of their own troops with Vietnamese war dead.
Getting there: The museum is very close to the Yen Nghia Bus Station, some 45 minutes from town; several bus routes will take you there, but we went by the 02 bus, caught in Trang Thi street in central Hanoi. The bus station is the end of the journey, and the Museum is reasonably well signposted from the road in front; the first road to the left of the bus station runs to a military base; turn right at that point and the museum is about fifty yards further on. Entry fee: 20.000 VND per person.
Written March 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NoRegretsTravel
Hershey, PA224 contributions
Jan 2018
Interesting. Traveled in a group with several US Vietnam Veterans who were amazed by the details of the construction and maintenance of the HCM Trail that they didn't know.
Museum layout is generous wide spaces to study the exhibits, read explanations.
Personal accounts of those who trekked supplies by bike, back, animal, and vehicle... reveals the very harsh conditions of keeping the trail open... after repeated bombing runs by USAF.
Rest rooms easy to locate. Clean. and the property is somewhat accessible to those with mobility issues... not completely though.
The reuse of the trail .. a new super four lane highway... amused our Vietnam Veterans whose youth was spent trying to interrupt the flow of materials to the VC in the South.
Great study of the longevity of the conflict and the critical role of the HCM Trail.
Glad we made our way out of the city to visit this hidden museum outside of Hanoi.
Museum layout is generous wide spaces to study the exhibits, read explanations.
Personal accounts of those who trekked supplies by bike, back, animal, and vehicle... reveals the very harsh conditions of keeping the trail open... after repeated bombing runs by USAF.
Rest rooms easy to locate. Clean. and the property is somewhat accessible to those with mobility issues... not completely though.
The reuse of the trail .. a new super four lane highway... amused our Vietnam Veterans whose youth was spent trying to interrupt the flow of materials to the VC in the South.
Great study of the longevity of the conflict and the critical role of the HCM Trail.
Glad we made our way out of the city to visit this hidden museum outside of Hanoi.
Written April 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BladeKandahar
Kandahar45 contributions
Nov 2015 • Couples
Focussed on the logistical side of the American War, this museum does a good job of capturing the perserverance and ingenuity of the many women and men who carved out and maintained the network of trails that fed the war against the US and the South Vietnamese regime. It's an hour long trek to get there, but you will likely be alone in wandering around the two story building, complete with a theatre where you can watch footage from the war. There is also a small section devoted to the US chemical warfare campaign in Vietnam, which includes pictures that are not for the faint of heart. A good place to go if rain is in the forecast, and you can easily add it to a visit of a local town specializing in silk.
Written November 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dominick1984
Hanoi, Vietnam61 contributions
Jul 2018 • Friends
This is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by the men and women who built the Ho Chi Minh trail — some 12,000 died, as it was infinitely bombed by American planes for years during the conflict.
Inside, the museum is tired, dusty and a bit grubby, but we enjoyed (if that is the word) seeing some of the images, weapons and other exhibits that tell the story. There is a good short film and much to linger over.
Outside, there is a moving Memorial to the thousands who died, set amongst a peaceful and lush-green garden, and you can also explore a replica of the underground tunnels that were such an important feature.
We took the bus, number 1, from the central bus station, which took us straight to the museum — about a10-minute Walk from the bus route terminal.
Inside, the museum is tired, dusty and a bit grubby, but we enjoyed (if that is the word) seeing some of the images, weapons and other exhibits that tell the story. There is a good short film and much to linger over.
Outside, there is a moving Memorial to the thousands who died, set amongst a peaceful and lush-green garden, and you can also explore a replica of the underground tunnels that were such an important feature.
We took the bus, number 1, from the central bus station, which took us straight to the museum — about a10-minute Walk from the bus route terminal.
Written July 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlanM
Edinburgh, UK92 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
We spent a really interesting couple of hours here. We thought the photos were really moving. The staff were really helpful and gave us extra info without overdoing it. In face they opened the whole place just for us! The short film really shows the astonishing scale of the engineering involved, with a clever and enormous model lighting up in sync with the film to show the routes. It would be massively impressive even without the constant bombing and rebuilding. Highly recommended. Using the "grab" taxi app is a reasonably priced way to make the round trip.
Written July 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve F
London, UK29 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
This is a very interesting museum with good displays of artifacts to do with the HCM trail but it is the photographs that are the best, of people, soldiers, repairs, living, everything to do with the trail and how the North Vietnamese used it to defeat the South Vietnamese and the US. Outside there are some of the heavy duty Soviet, Chinese and Japanese trucks used on the trail and at the back are big wall tablets with the names of those who died on the trail. This is one of the best museums I have visited in Vietnam and there have been a lot. Go, its not far from the Centre of Hanoi and you can combine a visit with some of the outlying Pagodas easily enough.
Written April 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Claim your listingHo Chi Minh Trail Museum - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum
- Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum is open:
- Mon - Sat 7:30 AM - 11:30 AM
- Mon - Sat 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
- Hotels near Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum:
- (4.29 mi) JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi
- (5.70 mi) Smarana Hanoi Heritage
- (4.92 mi) InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72
- (5.19 mi) Hyatt Regency West Hanoi
- (2.56 mi) Wyndham Garden Hanoi
- Restaurants near Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum:
- (0.78 mi) Lau Gat Gu
- (4.30 mi) JW Cafe
- (4.33 mi) The Lounge
- (4.30 mi) John Anthony Cantonese Grill & Dimsum
- (4.25 mi) French Grill
Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum Information
Excellent Reviews | 9 |
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Very Good Reviews | 13 |
Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum Photos | 27 |