Vietnamese Women’s Museum was established in 1987 and run by Vietnamese Women’s Union. It is a gender museum with functions of research, preservation, and display of tangible and intangible historical and cultural heritages of Vietnamese women and Vietnam Women’s Union. It is also a center for cultural exchange between Vietnamese and international women for the goal of equality, development and peace. The VWM is well-respected in Hanoi by both the public, the media and international partners. The museum has an established network of close media contacts and international partners, who take great interest in the activities and collaboration events, programs at the museum.
Its permanent exhibitions are:
– Women in Family
– Women in History
– Women’s Fashion
* The Exhibition “Women in Family”
This Exhibition offers the “circle life” of Vietnamese women. They are matured girls, and then they get married and start a new life as wives and mothers. The role and position of women in their family is focused on the wedding rituals in a patrilineal and matrilineal society. It also offers practices, and rituals related to the desire for children, pregnancy, birth, and care of the new mothers and newborn; small business, cultivation, fishing and foraging, preparing meals, pottery, sewing and weaving, and raising children.
* The Exhibition “Women in History”
This Exhibition not only examines the role and participation of Vietnamese women during resistance wars against enemies, but also focuses on different aspects of Vietnamese women’s daily life during the wars. The stories, contributions, glorious feats with weapons and sacrifice of Vietnamese women are vividly displayed by objects in the exhibit. Short films introduce how women in contemporary life assert their personality with energy, passion, skill and spirit based on traditional values.
* The Exhibition “Women’s Fashion”
This Exhibition offers diversified fashion and costume art using traditional techniques of many of the differing 54 ethnic groups here in Vietnam. It also introduces the beauty of these ethnic women’s fashion ascetics via the use of jewels, betels and areca nuts, per traditional ritual. By displaying a corresponding jewelry collection featuring; hairpin’s necklaces, earrings, bracelets, silver belts, and woven accessories you can quickly learn of the joy in which Vietnamese women express their femininity and hundreds of years of family tradition.
* The Exhibition “Worshipping Mother Goddess: Pure Heart – Beauty – Joy”
This Exhibition introduces the key values of Mother Goddess worship through the voices and experiences of worshippers in Hanoi and some northern provinces so that visitors might better understand this typical indigenous folk belief of the Vietnamese.
In addition to the permanent Exhibitions, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum reflects social issues related to women and children through a wide range of exhibitions. The Museum also focuses on introducing Vietnamese women’s traditional culture and gender-related concepts to students through educational programs at the Discovery Room of the Museum.
Services/Utilities:
– Audio Guide in Vietnamese, English, French, Japanese and Korean
– Leaflets in Vietnamese, English, French, Japanese, Korean and Spanish
– Wifi and free lockers
– Clean restrooms and wheelchairs for people with disabilities
– Museum shop
– Museum Café
Address: 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi
Phone number: 04.39365973 – 04.39361869
Website: www.womenmuseum.org.vn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baotangphunu/