The Vietnam Fine Arts Museum occupies a rambling colonial compound on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, a short walk from the Temple of Literature. Three interconnected buildings hold a permanent collection spanning from prehistoric art through the contemporary period, with particular depth in Vietnamese lacquerware, silk painting, and the folk art tradition of Dong Ho woodblock prints from the Red River Delta villages. The sculpture collection includes Cham pieces and Buddhist figures in stone and bronze that would be major attractions in any museum in the world.
The propaganda poster collection is the thing that most surprises visitors who expect socialist realism to be dreary. Vietnamese graphic artists of the 1960s and 70s produced work of extraordinary visual force — bold color, flat planes, images of soldiers, workers, and mothers holding rifles that are aesthetically thrilling regardless of your politics. The museum has a strong collection of these and they are available as prints in the shop. Allow two hours for the permanent collection; it is less crowded than Hanoi's history museums and the building is cool and pleasant to move through.