During my recent trip to Hue, I set out to explore different attractions after seeing the city’s popular UNESCO sites. The Lebadang Memory Space was one of those (and a pleasant surprise).
Admittedly, I didn’t know what or who “Lebadang” was before discovering this art museum. If you’re in the same boat — Le Ba Dang was a Vietnamese-born artist who originated from Hue. He later spent most of his life in France and passed away in 2016. This art gallery, or Space, was built into the hillside outside Hue in 2019, funded by his wife, family, and former students.
Here’s a video I filmed from inside the main exhibition area.
For more of Hue’s attractions, see my guides to the Imperial City, the royal tombs of Khai Dinh, Tu Duc, and Minh Mang, An Dinh Palace, and my article on visiting Thien Mu Pagoda on the Perfume River.
Also, there’s a smaller art museum with more of Lebadang’s work inside the main area of Hue, along the Perfume River here.
Lebadang Memory Space Visitor Info
| Location | Google Maps |
| Hours | 8 AM to 12 PM – 2 PM to 6 PM (Tue to Sun, closed Mon) |
| Cost | I paid 200.000 VND / free for children under 6 |
| Official website | Lebadang Memory Space |
| Social media | FB Page Lebadang Memory Space |
| How much time | Plan to spend at least 1 hour here |
| When to visit | Best when there’s blue skies (the garden area is nice) |
| Accessibility* | Long, winding paths, some staircases (and elevator) |
| Other notes | Nicely air-conditioned / a lot of bees around outside |
My Visit to Lebadang Memory Space
Getting here: I rode my scooter from my hotel in Hue (the Scarlett Boutique Hotel), and it took about 25 minutes. Besides the Scarlett Boutique, I also stayed at the Indochine Palace, which has a huge outdoor swimming pool. If you’re without a scooter (like I assume most travelers in Hue are), then you’ll want to download and use the Grab app to get here and to get around Hue.
Ticket cost: I paid 200.000 VND for my entrance ticket. On their website and reading reviews from other travelers, I’m seeing slightly higher ticket costs being advertised (269.000 VND and 230.000 VND). So it’s possible they reduced the price, but be prepared for any of the above costs just in case.
My visit: I visited at 2:30 PM, and there was only one other small group at the museum. The Memory Space and its grounds are built into a really peaceful area in the countryside of Hue. The paths around the property, the landscaping, and the building itself are all really clean and well-maintained.
The actual museum building itself was designed in a way that reflects Lebadang’s artwork style. (No, I didn’t come to this conclusion on my own — the museum manager gave me a lot of information during our chat.) There is a lot of artwork, murals, sculptures, and photographs throughout the entire Memory Space, which has different exhibition areas.
The main building has a souvenir shop on the lower level. The primary exhibition is above this level. Then there’s a staircase and an elevator behind the building that takes you up to the building’s rooftop. There are some great 360-degree views of Hue’s mountainside from up here (but not much else). At some point, I hope they make something more of this rooftop area because I personally felt it was underutilized.
Next to the main building is another exhibition of Lebadang’s work that’s built underground into the hillside. The main exhibition building and the underground exhibition are both air-conditioned.
The underground exhibition is crescent-shaped and is accessible from outdoor stairs at one end or a flat stone path from the other. There is a lot of art to see in this underground area, too.
Another building outside is used for workshops and artist retreats (it was closed when I visited). Then, on the other side of the small lake on the property is a coffee shop. The architecture and design of the entire property really lean into the concept of being built among nature (the manager told me this, too). There is a lot of greenery (trees, different styles of bushes). FYI: There were also a lot of bees flying around when I visited 🐝.
Overall, there’s a lot to see inside the exhibitions and on the property’s grounds. I spent at least 1 hour here, and I could easily see people spending 2 hours or more if they take their time and visit the coffee shop.
Bottom line: This is a nice bonus thing to do in Hue. The ticket cost is more expensive than other attractions in Hue. So if you’re in Hue for a few days and want something different to do that’s peaceful and among nature, this is a nice place to visit.
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