The Vietnamese Women’s Museum is a few minutes south of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi. This is a very relaxed museum, spread over a few floors. The museum covers three topics: Women in Family, Women in History, and Women’s Fashion.
This is a very convenient museum to access from anywhere near Hoan Kiem Lake. Tickets are 40.000 VND, and there’s air-conditioning inside. I’d visit during the day to escape the heat, then grab lunch nearby. For some more activities in Hanoi, see my articles on Hoa Lo Prison, the Military History Museum, the Museum of Ethnology, and Hanoi Train Street.
Vietnamese Women’s Museum Visitor Info
| Location | Google Maps |
| Hours | 8 AM to 5 PM daily |
| Cost | 40.000 VND |
| How much time | Plan to spend around 1 hour |
| When to visit* | I’d visit early or in the afternoon |
| Accessibility | Wheelchair-friendly (elevators) |
| Other notes | The museum has AC, fans, cold water for sale Displays in Vietnamese, French, and English |
Visiting the Vietnamese Women’s Museum
Getting here: If you’re in the vicinity of Hoan Kiem Lake, you can walk here. Otherwise, download and use the Grab app to book a taxi or moto-taxi. If you decide to stay at one of my recommended Hanoi hotels, like the La Siesta Premium Lakeside (Agoda / Booking), you’re five minutes away from the museum.
Tickets to the Vietnamese Women’s Museum cost 40.000 VND each, and there’s an audio tour available for an extra 40.000 VND. There’s also a free informational pamphlet at the front desk.
The ground floor of the museum has a souvenir shop, bathrooms, and cold water for sale. I bought a water here for 10.000 VND, which is fairly priced. The souvenir shop also has a number of Vietnamese souvenirs for sale, which are also fairly priced.
The museum has a ground floor, then three additional floors. There are stairs and elevators to access the floors. The museum’s building itself is on the older side, but I feel it suits the museum well. The experience here was very laid back when I visited, and the few staff I interacted with were all calm and friendly.
If you’re interested in Ao Dai dresses, this is a good place to see a bunch of them. There’s an entire floor dedicated to women’s fashion, with dresses, costumes, jewelry, and more.
This display shows a pottery vendor’s bicycle. This is actually a very common sight in Vietnam, not only for pottery. Women on bicycles sell all sorts of different things, including fruit and vegetables, and flowers.
Because of the museum’s convenient location just south of Hoan Kiem Lake, it’s a no-brainer to add this to your Hanoi itinerary. You can visit in the afternoon to escape the heat, enjoy the fans and AC, then grab lunch nearby. This area south of Hoan Kiem Lake is much more relaxed than its counterpart north of the lake (Old Quarter).
I had some good bun cha Hanoi five minutes away, right along the lake, at Lake View 1983 here.
