Vietnam is famous for its history. In the last century it resisted the occupying armies with amazing persistence. In many cities of Vietnam you will stumble upon museums exhibiting details of the past wars. Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military Museum in Da Nang is a tribute to the heroes of those conflicts and an interesting, although uninformative, place to see historical artefacts.
Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military Museum entrance fee
The museum is open from 7:00 am. to 4:30 pm. daily, except for the first Monday of the week, it is not allowed to visit, because this is when all units of Military Region 5 begin the flag-raising ceremony and division of duties. Military Zone 5 Museum will be completely free to visit, for Vietnamese visitors. International visitors will buy tickets with the ticket price of 60,000 Vnd (equivalent to 2 US dollars).
Best time to visit Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military Museum
Perhaps many of you will wonder when should you go to this museum in Da Nang? With Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military museum, you can come at any time of the year. However, you should consider whether yesterday’s climate was favorable or not.
The structure of Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military Museum
The museum in Da Nang is divided into two part.
Ho Chi Minh museum
Construction of the museum began on 12 September 1976 and it officially opened to the public on 19 May 1977. Its aim is to realize the aspirations of local people, along with the officers and men of Military Zone 5, and show their love for Uncle Ho.
The museum was built according to the model of Uncle Ho’s house in Hanoi capital. The house with fish ponds, stilt houses, gardens … Especially where kept some souvenirs about his life and career for the cause of his people, creating a space that is both sacred and warm.
Zone 5 Military museum
The Military Zone 5 museum is located near the Ho Chi Minh museum and was inaugurated on 7 January 1982.
Covering an area of 5,451 m², the outdoor displays feature aircraft, tanks, armoured cars, and large guns which were used by the French and American militaries during the last two resistance wars. The items were all captured by the 5th Military Division soldiers.
The indoor display area covers 3,368 m² and has 12 rooms. Thousands of images and exhibits are on display, and they depict the history and victories of Military Zone 5 between 1945 and 2001. In addition, there are many valuable artefacts which reflect the strength, creativity, and intelligence of the local people during the two resistance wars.
Interesting experiences at Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military Museum
Discover the history of Vietnam
The gallery inside the museum is full of photos, pictures, maps and artefacts. The exhibits start from ancient northern battles, go through French colonialism to the American War. It would be a great place not only for those interested in modern history, but anyone who wants to find out more about Vietnam.
The war images in the museum are not sowing hatred and crimes for us, but the indomitable resilience of the Vietnamese people. From there, it can help us to rebuild and re-develop the country after the war.
Admire the weapons used
Outside of a grim, socialist – style, building sits a collection of tanks, artillery, missiles and fighter jets. This is probably the most exciting part of the museum and you can wander around the square taking some photos.
You can recognize the weapons of the United States, appearing a lot in this area. An example is the A 37 attack aircraft, which is an American light bomber made in the 1960s. Along with the M41 light tanks, the UH1 helicopter. The area also displays a lot of Soviet weapons such as MiG21 fighters, which rival the US F-4 Phantom fighters.
Learn about Uncle Ho’s life
Visiting the model of Ho Chi Minh house floor and garden, you can see how simple Uncle Ho’s life wass, with not too many items in the house and most of them are wooden.
Here you will find a copy of his childhood bedrooms and prove of his many struggles and achievements. There are even his toothbrush, a comb, sandals and glasses proudly displayed behind glass.
Reviews Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military museum on Tripadvisor
We had only 4 hours in Da Nang before catching a flight. Nice greeting at the ticket office, free lockers to store your backpacks. We were the only people there and what a difference that makes. All signs were translated to english. Highly recommend. Walked back to the airport in 45 mintes.
Megan and Allan (Nubeena, Australia)
I am prior service US Army Vietnam Era Veteran who was not particularly for that war and who found this to be an extraordinary display for so many reasons. Yes, the place is being renovated and needs a little TLC as others have noted, but for a few dollars you will see one of the most splendid military displays likely in the world! Been to a lot of museums and this is one of the best IMHO. Take some snacks with you (I would’ve brought a couple of beers too if I would’ve had a small backpack). Like the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, a couple of beers might help swallowing this…
There are: a reception building where you pay and get a helpful brochure, the military museum Zone 5 building (three stories and many displays), museum devoted to Ho Chi Minh, another building that I didn’t go into (looked like part of the military installation), a replica of Uncle Ho’s House, and a lovely garden with a beautiful pond. I spent almost four hours there, and enjoyed every bit of it. Highly worth your time if you even like history a little bit…
docjammin (Fort Worth, TX)
The Military Zone 5 Museum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum (Military Zone 5 Branch) and a replica of Ho Chi Minh’s House on stilts form an impressive complex in a landscaped setting with displays of vehicles and weapons at the entrance to the museums. The entrance is on Duy Tan street. The open air exhibits and the museum displays cover military history from 1945 through the wars with the French and USA onwards. There is also some maritime coverage of the disputed Spratly Islands.
I was the only foreigner and visitor there when I visited the complex and ended up spending nearly 4 hours exploring the museums and the tranquility of the pond and flora beside Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house. There is no air-conditioning and only natural lighting within the buildings, but there is seating outside within the trees beside the pond where one can rest and watch birds in this tranquil area in the the centre of Da Nang.
davefr0mireland (Helsinki, Finland)
Getting to Ho Chi Minh and Zone 5 Military Museum
The museum is located between Tran Thi Ly bridge and Da Nang international airport in a very convenient location for traffic, you can easily come here by different means such as bus, taxi, motorbike. If you travel in a group, renting a private car charter for half a day or a day is an excellent idea. Alternatively, you can rent a scooter in Da Nang for a day.
When you visit Da Nang, don’t miss your chance to discover the history of this land through the museum. This place gives you historical values that no other place can bring.
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