Southern Women’s Museum – The largest memorial house in the center of Saigon
Located right in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, the Southern Women’s Museum is a place to preserve thousands of valuable documents and artifacts, honoring the image of Vietnamese women through many historical periods. Not only is it a valuable cultural address, it is also an attractive tourist destination, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every time they visit Saigon.
1. Southern Women’s Museum – Ticket prices and visiting information
The Southern Women’s Museum is one of the prominent cultural tourist destinations in Ho Chi Minh City. It was established to honor the cultural beauty, traditional values and role of Vietnamese women – especially Southern women – in historical periods and the struggle for national independence.
Address: No. 200 – 202 Vo Thi Sau, Ward 7, District 3, City. Ho Chi Minh City
(About 2.6 km from Ben Thanh Market)
Directions:
- Motorbike or car: From the city center, follow Truong Chinh Street → turn onto Cong Hoa Street → continue to the end of Vo Thi Sau Street to reach the museum.
- Bus: You can choose routes 04, 30, 54, 91, 150, 152, all of which have routes passing through the museum area.
Opening hours:
- Morning: 7:30 – 11:30
- Afternoon: 13:30 – 17:00
- Reference ticket price: Free for visitors.
2. What is special about visiting the Southern Women’s Museum?
2.1. History of the Southern Women’s Museum
According to information from the Museum, this location was formerly the residence of Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Loan – wife of Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, Director of the General Police Department of the Republic of Vietnam regime. After 1975, the building was converted into the Southern Women’s Traditional House, officially operating from April 29, 1985 with an area of 200m², including 6 exhibition rooms.
However, the small scale of the original facility was not enough to fully demonstrate the role, contributions and diverse activities of Southern women in the history of the nation. Therefore, on March 8, 1986, the construction of the new Museum began. On May 18, 1990, the Southern Women’s Museum was officially inaugurated and put into operation with a larger, more modern scale.
2.2. Exhibition space and impressive numbers
Currently, the museum has a total usable area of up to 5,410m², including:
A hall with a capacity of nearly 1,000 people
A storage system of more than 700m²
Managing and storing about 31,360 artifacts, nearly 15,000 film documents and 12,000 books related to women and the fields of society, history and culture.
The artifacts mainly reflect the role of women in the revolutionary war and traditional cultural life. In particular, the museum has dedicated two galleries to commemorate typical heroines such as Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Le Thi Hong Gam, Vo Thi Sau, Nguyen Thi Dinh, … – those who contributed to writing the heroic history of the nation.
2.3. 11 unique permanent exhibition themes
The Southern Women’s Museum currently has 11 permanent exhibition themes that are scientifically and attractively arranged, including:
- Traditions of Vietnamese women before the Party
- Uncle Ho with Southern women and Southern women with Uncle Ho
- The formation and development process of the Vietnam Women’s Union
- Southern women in building and defending the Fatherland after the country’s reunification
- Southern women in political struggles
- Southern women in the armed forces
- Southern women in diplomacy
- Southern women in colonial and imperialist prisons
- Ba worship
- Costume and jewelry of ethnic women in the South
- Traditional handicraft weaving
2.4. Modern 3D exhibition space
On October 9, 2020, the Museum officially inaugurated a 3D exhibition room on the 2nd floor, with an area of 400m². This space applies modern technology to bring a new, more vivid and intuitive sightseeing experience to visitors.
Highlights include:
- Hologram projection equipment and virtual reality technology, helping 3D artifacts to appear floating in space without the need for glasses
- Diverse language system, supporting descriptions of artifacts in Vietnamese, English and French, suitable for international visitors
Not only a place to preserve cultural and historical values, the Southern Women’s Museum is increasingly becoming a “must-visit” destination for visitors to Ho Chi Minh City, especially for those interested in the role and image of women in the flow of Vietnamese history.
3. Some notes when visiting the Southern Women’s Museum
To have a complete and civilized experience at the Southern Women’s Museum, visitors should note the following:
- Find out about opening hours in advance to avoid waiting or arriving when the museum is closed.
- Dress politely and neatly; keep order, speak softly so as not to affect others, especially in the exhibition areas.
- Photography is allowed, but you should avoid areas with signs prohibiting photography or limiting the use of flash.
- Do not touch the artifacts directly to protect the heritage and ensure preservation requirements.
- You can hire a tour guide at the museum if you want to learn more about the history of formation, the exhibition topics and typical achievements associated with Southern women.
Usually, you only need one morning or afternoon to explore almost the entire exhibition space at the museum. After visiting, visitors can combine visiting other prominent places in the central area of Ho Chi Minh City such as the Independence Palace, Nguyen Hue walking street, Notre Dame Cathedral, or Ben Thanh market.
After more than 30 years of operation, the Southern Women’s Museum is not only a place to preserve historical memories, but also a destination that attracts millions of visitors each year. Above all, this place contributes to honoring and preserving the beautiful traditional values of Vietnamese women – resilient, indomitable, capable and compassionate.
ACCOMMODATION SUGGESTIONS
If you intend to stay in Ho Chi Minh City, you should choose accommodations near the center and with good services, for example:
+ Acnos Hotel Ben Thanh: 20 Nguyen Thi Nghia, Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
+ Acnos Grand Hotel: 82 Cach Mang Thang Tam, Xuan Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.