Ho Chi Minh Museum (Ben Nha Rong)

The Ho Chi Minh Museum at Ben Nha Rong occupies the former headquarters of a French shipping company at 1 Nguyen Tat Thanh in District 4 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on the bank of the Saigon River at the confluence with the Ben Nghe Canal. Built in 1863, the building takes its name, Dragon House Wharf, from the stylised dragons on its roof, and it was from this wharf in 1911 that Nguyen Tat Thanh, later known as Ho Chi Minh, boarded the steamer Amiral de Latouche-Treville to travel to France. The museum is dedicated to his life and activities and displays photographs, documents, letters, personal items and models relating to his years abroad and his revolutionary career. Exhibits are arranged in chronological order and some include copies of records, maps and artefacts. Captions are mainly in Vietnamese, with English labels on some displays. In the grounds, visitors can see the wharf, a reconstruction of the ship, and the riverside, which gives views of the Saigon River and the District 1 skyline across the water. The museum is much less visited than the central museums and is generally quiet, so a visit takes about an hour. Hours are around 7:30-11:30am and 1:30-5:00pm from Tuesday to Sunday, with a closure on Mondays and for lunch, so visitors should confirm before going. Entry costs a small fee of around 10,000 VND. It is a 10-minute taxi ride from Ben Thanh Market and can be reached on foot via the Khanh Hoi Bridge from District 1. Mornings are cooler and more comfortable.