(VOVworld) - The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is 6th on the list of the 25 most attractive museums in Asia, ranked by the prestigious travel site Trip Advisor. The museum is an ideal destination for travelers who want to discover the rich culture of Vietnam.

The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology on Nguyen Van Huyen street is 8 km from Hanoi’s center. Built in 1997, the museum has become popular with both Vietnamese and foreigners thanks to its simple exhibits which reflect all aspects of tangible and intangible culture as well as typical characteristics of Vietnamese people’s lives and creativity. Deputy Director of the Museum Doctor Luu Hung said:"The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology was set up at a time when many of our colleagues in the country were struggling to attract visitors due to the lack of a proper development program. In our case, we tried to learn from the experience of others while diversifying our activities. We pursued activities which were new and unfamiliar to museums in Vietnam”.

The museum exhibits the cultural items of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups. Of its nearly 27,000 objects, 23,000 reveal the culture of Vietnamese ethnic groups and the rest are about ethnic groups in other countries, mainly in Southeast Asia. There are also 11 000 photographs on various themes. All objects are thematically categorized to portray the lives and traditions of the different ethnic groups.

Visiting the exhibit featuring the Kinh majority group which include about 90% of the Vietnamese population, a British tourist said they were impressed by the rudimentary fishing tools fishing.

Visitors appreciate the museum’s thematic displays, its variety of outdoor activities such as water puppet and traditional handicraft shows, and its recreation of traditional festivals. Luong Ngoc Huong has visited the museum several times: “Visiting the museum, I can learn about the architecture and life styles of ethnic minority people. Special programs at the museum are very interesting. Because of them, I know about places I have never been and customs I have never seen.”

Leaving the Bronze Drum House, visitors are led to outdoor exhibits. There are traditional houses of the E De and Ha Nhi ethnic groups, central highland groups and the Kinh majority group. Doctor Luu Hung told VOV:“The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology was the first museum in Vietnam with outdoor exhibits. All these houses here were built by ethnic minority people themselves. By adopting new concepts and approaches, the museum has kept up with public demand. We are very proud of it”.

In the first half of this year, the museum welcomed nearly 250,000 visitors, 6% more than last year. For anyone interested in Vietnam’s minorities, it’s an essential visit.