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Hoi An Ancient Town is a living museum in itself, preserving the best of its cultural heritage through cuisine, architecture, craft villages, annual festivals, and religious sites. However, the only place where visitors can see history laid out in black and white is in Hoi An’s museums.
Among the many museums in Hoi An - both modern and traditional - we’ve selected the five largest, each safeguarding a rich collection of the town’s historical artifacts and evidence.
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1. Hoi An Museum of Sa Huynh Culture
Number one on the list is the Hoi An Museum of Sa Huynh Culture, also known as the Sa Huynh Cultural Museum. Established in 1994, this museum preserves evidence of the first people who settled in the Hoi An area - the Sa Huynh civilization. Archaeological discoveries in Hoi An and Cu Lao Cham reveal that the Sa Huynh people were trading jewelry and ceramics with other Asian countries as far back as 3,000 years ago.
The Sa Huynh culture forms one corner of the Vietnamese Iron Age cultural triangle, alongside the Dong Son and Dong Nai cultures. The Sa Huynh Cultural Museum is the out-of-the-way Hoi An museum, showcasing artifacts unearthed from Sa Huynh settlements, including iron tools, pottery, jewelry, and a unique system of jar burials. Since 1989, archaeologists have excavated more than 950 artifacts now housed in the museum.
- Address: No. 149 Tran Phu St., Hoi An.
- Opening hours: from 8:00 - 17:00 every day.
Side Note: The museum is closed on the 10th of every month.
- Ticket price: 150,000 VND (~ 6 USD)/person
2. Hoi An Museum of Trade Ceramics
The Museum of Trade Ceramics is a museum in Hoi An showcasing artifacts that highlight the city's historic trade and cultural exchanges with countries such as China, India, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. The building, originally constructed in 1920, was transformed into a pottery museum in 1995 with the assistance of Japanese experts.
Today, the Hoi An Museum of Trade Ceramics houses approximately 368 ceramic artifacts dating from the 9th–10th centuries to the 19th century. The collection includes ceramics featuring Chinese and Japanese designs, as well as dishes and flower vases produced in northern Vietnamese kilns since the 15th century. Some of the oldest artifacts in the museum are estimated to be over 2,000 years old.
- Address: No. 80 Tran Phu St., Hoi An.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 21:00 on weekdays.
Side Note: The museum is closed on the 15th of every month for repair.
- Ticket price: 120,000 VND (~5 USD)/person.
3. Hoi An Museum of Traditional Medicine
Once a bustling trading port, Hoi An was also a famous place for medicines, especially Vietnamese herbs and traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, the Hoi An Museum of Traditional Medicine was opened in 2019 in order to preserve the traditional medical profession that was once famous in Hoi An.
The museum displays nearly 200 original artifacts and a number of restored artifacts, as well as documents related to general traditional medicine and the medical profession in Hoi An.
- Address: No. 80 Tran Phu St., Hoi An.
- Opening hours: 7:00 - 21:00 on weekdays.
- Ticket price: 120,000 VND(5.00 USD)/person.
4. Hoi An Museum of Folklore Culture
Hoi An Folklore Museum is a Hoi An museum that you should drop by if you are planning to visit Hoi An craft villages. This museum displays many traditional handicrafts of Hoi An such as lantern making, carpentry, silkworm farming, embroidery, and life-sized models of boats, looms, and working tools.
Opened in 2005, this museum is the biggest museum in Hoi An; the 2nd floor also exhibits items about local theater arts, costumes, and festivals. The museum has a total of 483 artifacts with 4 main themes: folk visual arts, folk performing arts, traditional craft villages, and folk activities.
- Address: 33 Nguyen Thai Hoc St./62 Bach Dang St., Hoi An
- Opening hours: from 7:00 - 21:30 every day.
- Ticket price: 120,000 VND (5 USD)/person.
5. Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
Hoi An Museum of Precious Heritage, also known as Precious Heritage by Réhahn, is an art gallery and a museum founded by Réhahn - a French photographer who fell in love with the beauty of Hoi An.
This special Hoi An museum has 2 floors: The first floor displays 200 unique photos of Vietnamese women - mothers and children of ethnic minorities. The second one is a collection of Precious Heritage images displaying 35 traditional costumes, stories, and artifacts related to the life and culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups along the North-Central-South regions.
Réhahn provides stories and information about each ethnic group written in three languages: Vietnamese, English, and French.
Since its opening day on January 17, 2017, the museum has become the symbol of not only Vietnamese culture but also of successful cultural interaction between France and Vietnam. Réhahn is working on his new projects; this means that this museum will still be updated with new documents about the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam.
- Address: 26 Phan Boi Chau St., Hoi An
- Opening hours: from 8:00 to 20:00, every day.
- Ticket price: Free.
Each museum in Hoi An offers a unique look into the old town’s past, from ancient artifacts and traditional crafts to untold stories of everyday life. Whether you're a history buff, a curious traveler, or simply someone who loves discovering hidden cultural gems, Hoi An’s museums invite you to slow down, look deeper, and experience the heart of Vietnam in a truly meaningful way.
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