Vietnamese Air Force Museum
Vietnamese Air Force Museum
4
About
This museum costs about $10 U.S. round trip there and back from the Old Quarter and is located on the southern outskirts of the city. It's run by the Vietnamese military. Inside is a front section of a jet fighter where one can climb in and have a friend take his photo. Outside are numerous pieces of military equipment. There's an abundance of MIGs, helicopters, army trucks, radar, artillery pieces, tanks, etc. For someone who enjoys military memorabilia, this is the place for them. Much of the equipment was given to the Vietnamese by the USSR and one piece even came to them from the Germans by way of the Soviets. One of the pieces is a huge helicopter in back. There's also the wreckage of an American jet aircraft from a carrier. I thought the Army Museum had a lot of military equipment in it but this beats that one by a long shot.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
124 reviews
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Paul L
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates145 contributions
Jul 2022
Although 20 minutes or so from Hanoi center, well worth the visit to see the different types of aircraft and the history of air warfare within Vietnam. By taxi from the center it's about 120K dong and the staff at the museum will flag you down a taxi to return. Be aware that it closes in the middle of the day, so plan around this for the visit, reasonable to enter and you're able to get up close and personal with the exhibits, including sitting in a fighter yet, our 9 year olds dream satisfied.
Written August 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jasonk001
Melbourne, Australia20 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
As someone who's interested in planes I enjoyed my visit here. I believe it costed me around 30k dong for entry and it was around a 15-20min grab ride from the old quarter. Quite a number of MiGs on display, helicopters, armoured vehicles and missles. There is also a wreckage of a F-4 Phantom. The museum was also interesting as well detailing vietnams war history. Yes, some propaganda but its interesting to read the other side perspective. Worth a visit if your interested in planes and miltary history.
Written April 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Me_n_my_rucksack
Yorkshire, UK6,231 contributions
Mar 2018 • Couples
I suspect this is well off the tourist trail for Western visitors - our driver has been here once before with a client - over 10 years ago !
About 40 min drive South of the City Centre the museum has a reasonably large number of aircraft outside and a large newsih building housing exhibits.
As with all Vietnamese military museums its focus, possibly naturally, is the war with the US. As such the rhetoric is very much the party line - evil imoerialists versus the glorious Vietnamese air force. Again possibly understandable but to the western mind a museum should present fact not opinion or political statement. The things one may yearn for such as how did a populance of mainly farmers and rural types in the 50s and 60s manage to train so many good jet pilots or missile technicians and so one are not addressed and this would be a fascinating story. Does the Air Force select the best recruits from those available ? How did the Vietnamese Air Defence doctrine differ from the Russians for example ? What are its main drivers and threats today ?
In fact there are possibly more words on display describing shot down American aircraft than there are words describing the organisation, training development and equipment of the Vietnamese air arm and this is a real shame.
That said there are some really interseting aircraft and Radar equipment on display, and the incredibly interesting Descent module from Soyuz 36 which returned a Vietnamese astronaut to earth (He launched on Soyuz 37 - returned in the module of 36).
Although a fascinating museum with some great photo opportunities and displays the real shame is it spends far too long stuck in anti US propoganda mode and does not fully tell what must be a far more interesting story about the Vietnamese Air Forces own history. Certainly worth a visit nonetheless.
About 40 min drive South of the City Centre the museum has a reasonably large number of aircraft outside and a large newsih building housing exhibits.
As with all Vietnamese military museums its focus, possibly naturally, is the war with the US. As such the rhetoric is very much the party line - evil imoerialists versus the glorious Vietnamese air force. Again possibly understandable but to the western mind a museum should present fact not opinion or political statement. The things one may yearn for such as how did a populance of mainly farmers and rural types in the 50s and 60s manage to train so many good jet pilots or missile technicians and so one are not addressed and this would be a fascinating story. Does the Air Force select the best recruits from those available ? How did the Vietnamese Air Defence doctrine differ from the Russians for example ? What are its main drivers and threats today ?
In fact there are possibly more words on display describing shot down American aircraft than there are words describing the organisation, training development and equipment of the Vietnamese air arm and this is a real shame.
That said there are some really interseting aircraft and Radar equipment on display, and the incredibly interesting Descent module from Soyuz 36 which returned a Vietnamese astronaut to earth (He launched on Soyuz 37 - returned in the module of 36).
Although a fascinating museum with some great photo opportunities and displays the real shame is it spends far too long stuck in anti US propoganda mode and does not fully tell what must be a far more interesting story about the Vietnamese Air Forces own history. Certainly worth a visit nonetheless.
Written March 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adreen K
Singapore, Singapore26 contributions
Jan 2017 • Solo
I am a military and aviation fan, so made the trip out to this base: VND73,000 taxi. Got there 3pm, says it's closes by 4z Greeted by outdoor collection, walked a quick round past MiGs, the crashed F-4, and marvelled at the massive helicopter at the back - couldn't get it into one frame of camera till I went outside the fence! Then I went inside the building- exhibits are fine though as many said not fully in English so some background is helpful. Some interesting displays and 'angle' is to be expected. I would have liked the modern VNAF materials at entrance to be translated as they have quite a lot they seem proud of (why nothing at all about their front line Sukhois?!). That seemed a waste to me. A bit sad that way. Stark contrast to the renovated and tourist-friendly and effort put into the Police Museum I saw today. Some disrepair which is sad.
Also, renovation going on and areas on ground level just empty and dusty, with workers around and their quarters(?), clothes and some vegetable fields(!) behind the Skyraider as the building is being painted. No cafe, gift shop or ability to board the MiG-21 cockpit (it's in ground level btw). I was ready to leave at 4 and noticed many people strolling in and around, including children on bikes. My Guess is that the museum grounds are being used as a public park of sorts especially after hours.
PS Found a picture of the old air base in the Police Museum, you can see how it fits what's there now on Google Maps.
Also, renovation going on and areas on ground level just empty and dusty, with workers around and their quarters(?), clothes and some vegetable fields(!) behind the Skyraider as the building is being painted. No cafe, gift shop or ability to board the MiG-21 cockpit (it's in ground level btw). I was ready to leave at 4 and noticed many people strolling in and around, including children on bikes. My Guess is that the museum grounds are being used as a public park of sorts especially after hours.
PS Found a picture of the old air base in the Police Museum, you can see how it fits what's there now on Google Maps.
Written January 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
antonvanold
1,217 contributions
Mar 2016 • Solo
The museum entrance is at 20°59'59.0"N 105°49'45.0"E. If the attendant is not there, the guards may let you wander and take pictures until the cashier comes back from break. I was early after lunch time, and I walked around for awhile before the nice young lady came back from her meal break. 20,000 VND admission fee.
Busses that stop in front of the Museum are:
16A - Bến xe Giáp Bát đi Bến xe Mỹ Đình Bến xe Giáp Bát Every 15 min
16B - Bến xe Nước Ngầm đi Bến xe Mỹ Đình Bến xe Nước Ngầm Every 15 min
19 - Trần Khánh Dư đi Bến xe Yên Nghĩa Trần Khánh Dư Every 20 min
24 - Lương Yên đi Cầu Giấy (Qua Ngã Tư Sở) Lương Yên Every 15 min
For enthusiasts of aerial warfare, this is an important assemblage of combat veteran aircraft. While embellishments may have been made as to specific aircraft's histories, the accomplishments of the pilots who flew outdated aircraft such as the MiG-17 in an age of Mach 2 interceptors are a tribute to the bravery of the airmen who flew them.
There is little worse than an important collection of historically significant military aircraft that contributed to the victory of a nation's air force being left to rot. This is a highly neglected and rapidly deteriorating exhibit that will not be in existence for many decades.
The indoor museum could use some upgrades, but the story told by the artifacts and graphics, while faded, remains a memorable one.
Busses that stop in front of the Museum are:
16A - Bến xe Giáp Bát đi Bến xe Mỹ Đình Bến xe Giáp Bát Every 15 min
16B - Bến xe Nước Ngầm đi Bến xe Mỹ Đình Bến xe Nước Ngầm Every 15 min
19 - Trần Khánh Dư đi Bến xe Yên Nghĩa Trần Khánh Dư Every 20 min
24 - Lương Yên đi Cầu Giấy (Qua Ngã Tư Sở) Lương Yên Every 15 min
For enthusiasts of aerial warfare, this is an important assemblage of combat veteran aircraft. While embellishments may have been made as to specific aircraft's histories, the accomplishments of the pilots who flew outdated aircraft such as the MiG-17 in an age of Mach 2 interceptors are a tribute to the bravery of the airmen who flew them.
There is little worse than an important collection of historically significant military aircraft that contributed to the victory of a nation's air force being left to rot. This is a highly neglected and rapidly deteriorating exhibit that will not be in existence for many decades.
The indoor museum could use some upgrades, but the story told by the artifacts and graphics, while faded, remains a memorable one.
Written October 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The flying Canuck
72 contributions
Nov 2020 • Solo
Regardless of the wonky hours. If is well worth the drive and visit to this museum. Some pretty iconic aircraft on display.
Written November 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leo D
52 contributions
Dec 2014 • Solo
i am too excited to see American aircraft at any military museum in Vietnam... or at least pieces of them! Inside the museum i see more shot down American military equipment, with some low-tech dioramas showing how the brave Vietnamese pilots shot down the imperialist running dog aggressors. they are good historical teller.
Written January 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald B
Beijing, China209 contributions
Mar 2012 • Solo
The (cheap) 20 min taxi ride from the old quarter is worth the crazy street driving experience in itself. Once there its a surreal experience to imagine the action these machines have faced yet its so quiet there despite the traffic outside the gates. Once inside the museum there's lots of memorabilia from shot down US planes and pilots.
Written April 16, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shockbn
Nagoya, Japan58 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
However, it is moving for with those insufficient arms, Vietnamese military could get win against world strongest US military.
Written February 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DAVID L
Los Angeles, CA8,056 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
You have to really want to see this aviation war museum and then search for it to get there. It’s for aviation and war buffs, and history types. If you’re one of these then this is the place. Helps to know a bit of prior history of the various aircraft types, as documentation in English is a bit scant. Interesting.
Written November 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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