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Located at 66 Dien Bien Phu Street, Hong Bang Ward, the Hai Phong Museum is one of the city's famous historical buildings. As one of the earliest provincial and city museums in the country, since 1959, the Hai Phong Museum has collected and preserved over 22,000 artifacts, over 11,400 images, 3,285 original documents, and over 720 books, along with many other valuable and important historical artifacts.
It is known that this building was originally constructed in 1918 by a Hong Kong business group in the European Gothic style. After a period of losses, the owner sold the building to a French capitalist. From around 1920, the building was known as the Franco-Chinese Bank.
Located in the heart of the city, the Hai Phong Museum is a convenient historical and cultural attraction for visitors.
After the liberation of Hai Phong (May 13, 1955), the building was used as the College of Banking. In 1958, at the request of the Hai Phong City People's Committee, the Ministry of Finance handed over the building to be used as a museum. On December 20, 1959, after a period of renovation, the Hai Phong Museum was inaugurated. Since then, it has also been known as the first local research museum in Vietnam.
The building covers an area of approximately 1 hectare, comprising two floors and a basement, with a floor area of approximately 1,200 m².2Despite numerous renovations, the Hai Phong Museum has largely retained its original exterior architecture and basic interior structure as it was over 100 years ago.
The two floors of the Hai Phong Museum are divided into 16 exhibition rooms covering 12 topics, and one room dedicated to thematic exhibitions commemorating major national and city holidays, as well as cultural events related to historical progress. The total number of exhibits is 1,736 artifacts and 840 images and documents.
The building's architecture has been preserved, and it is being used to display many valuable artifacts.
The museum's regularly displayed exhibits include: Hai Phong's natural resources, Hai Phong in prehistoric times, Hai Phong from the 1st century to the end of the 19th century, the old Hai Phong city, Hai Phong from the end of the 19th century to the August 1945 Revolution, Hai Phong's 30 years of resistance against foreign invaders, national construction and defense (1945-1975), Hai Phong's transportation - the northern gateway, Vietnam's seas and islands, Hai Phong's agriculture, the history of Hai Phong's economy, industry, commerce and handicrafts from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the Friendship Room, President Ho Chi Minh with the people of Hai Phong - The people of Hai Phong following President Ho Chi Minh's teachings.
The exhibits are presented in a chronological manner, focusing on the distinctive themes of Hai Phong city, fully showcasing the land, people, and traditional culture of Hai Phong throughout history.
The exhibits are presented in a chronological manner, focusing on the distinctive themes of Hai Phong city.
On the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the liberation of Hai Phong (May 13, 1955 - May 13, 2024) and the 2024 Red Phoenix Flower Festival, the Hai Phong Museum displayed national treasures and ancient artifacts from the An Bien Collection for the public and tourists. The 300 ancient artifacts in the An Bien Collection date from the Dong Son Culture to the Dai Viet Kingdom of the 19th century, including 18 national treasures from the An Bien collector (collector Tran Dinh Thang). This also marks the first time the Museum has publicly displayed the collection of gold and silver artifacts from the Nghè Temple, which the Hai Phong Museum has been preserving and receiving in February 2024.
The Hai Phong Museum currently houses and displays national treasures and ancient artifacts from the An Bien Collection.
Three treasures were recognized in 2023: a Dong Son bronze vase dating back to the Dong Son Culture; a brown-glazed ceramic vase dating from the 11th-12th centuries; and a gray-blue glazed ceramic incense burner dating from approximately the Hung Tri era (1588-1591), during the reign of King Mac Mau Hop.
Six national treasures were recognized in 2022, including: two celadon ceramic plates (dating from the Ly Dynasty, 11th-12th centuries); a purple-blue glazed ceramic plate (dating from the early Le Dynasty, 15th century); a blue and white ceramic incense burner (dating from the early Le Dynasty, 15th century); and two bronze incense burners with lion-shaped lids (dating from the 16th-17th centuries).
The nine national treasures finally recognized by the state in 2021 are all white glazed ceramic products dating back to the Ly Dynasty, featuring unique, purely Vietnamese designs and motifs, deeply rooted in the cultural identity and philosophy of a Buddhist monarchy.
In addition, the museum also displays many valuable works such as the statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara made of precious agarwood, meticulously crafted in the Chinese art style of the 17th-19th centuries, or hundreds of ancient artifacts dating back to the Ly, Tran, Le, and Mac dynasties with beautiful patterns and motifs that are still intact, displayed in the main hall of the Hai Phong Museum.
A statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, made of precious agarwood, is on display at the museum.
Since its establishment, the museum has played a crucial role in educating the city's residents about history, patriotism, and national pride. During significant national and Hai Phong City events, such as the Liberation of Southern Vietnam on April 30th, the Liberation of Hai Phong on May 13th, and National Day on September 2nd, many local and out-of-province visitors come to the museum as a way to reflect on the glorious and heroic history of the nation. Visitors include not only the elderly and veterans, but also teenagers and children.
Museums contribute to educating people about history, fostering patriotism, and instilling national pride.
The museum is open to visitors from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM in the morning and from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in the afternoon, and is closed on Mondays. It is also a popular spot for tourists to take photos when visiting Hai Phong.
Hai Phong is a land rich in historical and cultural traditions, with a concentration of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, boasting 553 classified relics, including 118 national-level relics, 433 city-level relics, 2 special national-level relics, 12 national intangible cultural heritages, and 21 national treasures.
