The Museum of History and the Museum of the Revolution are located opposite each other and are considered a single museum, although their buildings were built at different times and in different styles.
The Museum of History is the successor to the French Museum of the Far East. The building for this museum was constructed in 1926 in the colonial style. In September 1958, already in the independent state of Vietnam, the museum was named the Museum of History. Its collection is unique, both in terms of its time span and the exclusivity of many of its exhibits. Each hall of the two-storey museum is dedicated to a certain stage of the country's history from the Neolithic and Palaeolithic periods. A separate hall contains collections of ancient cultures from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD. Among the rare valuable items are exhibits of Khmer culture, Hindu stone statues of Tjampa, and ancient ceramics. Many original artefacts can be seen in the expositions of the times of the great Vietnamese emperors. An exhibition of beautiful watercolours tells about the life of the imperial court in Hue.
In 1959, the Museum of Revolution was built opposite the history museum. The bright lotus-shaped building is meant to symbolise the purity of the revolution and its leader Ho Chi Minh. The exposition of the museum tells about the struggle of the people of the small country against French colonisation and American aggression, about the formation of a young independent state. Documents, photographs, military uniforms, weapons and much more are presented. Even the guillotine of Hoa Lo prison, which the colonisers used to execute Vietnamese patriots.
The museum houses more than two thousand historical documents signed by Ho Chi Minh, his articles and photographs, and in the courtyard stands a gift to the revolutionary leader from the Soviet Union - an armoured car.
