A foreigner visits the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre
School and university students will be admitted free of charge.
The adjustment follows a resolution adopted by the municipal People’s Council on admission fees for historical sites and museums under the management of the department.
Under the new fee schedule, admission to the War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Museum and Con Dao Special National Historical Site, including Con Dao Museum, will cost VND60,000 per person per visit.
Visitors to the Bach Dinh Historical Site will be charged VND30,000 ($1.15) per person.
Several museums have not yet introduced admission charges, including the Ho Chi Minh Museum - Ho Chi Minh City Branch, the Ton Duc Thang Museum, the Southern Women’s Museum and the Binh Duong Museum.
Children and students are exempt from admission fees.
Other groups eligible for free admission include people with especially severe disabilities and members of poor and near-poor households.
A 50-percent discount will be available to people covered by preferential cultural-access policies, older people, people with disabilities, people with meritorious services to the revolution, ethnic minority people living in communes with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions, and holders of the titles of People’s Artisan or Meritorious Artisan.
Visitors seeking fee exemptions or reductions must present their citizen identification cards or relevant documents proving their eligibility.
Under the current fee structure, the War Remnants Museum and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Museum charge VND40,000 ($1.5) per person per visit, while the Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts and Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History charge VND30,000 ($1.15).
The admission fee at the Bach Dinh Historical Site is currently VND15,000 ($0.57) per person per visit.
The Con Dao Special National Historical Site and Con Dao Museum charge VND50,000 ($1.92).
Officials are introduced to traditional musical instruments at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. Photo: Thanh Hiep / Tuoi Tre
The fee adjustment comes as existing rates, introduced between 2017 and 2020, have remained unchanged for roughly six to nine years, local media reported.
During that period, operating and maintenance costs, labor expenses and investment requirements for renewing exhibitions, adopting technology and pursuing digital transformation have increased.
However, the more important issue than the size of the increase is what visitors will receive in return.
During discussions on the new fee structure at a sitting held by the municipal People’s Council in late August, the principle was emphasized that higher admission charges should go hand in hand with improved visitor services.
If residents and tourists are required to pay more, they should receive a corresponding improvement in facilities, exhibition content and presentation, interpretation services, technological applications, experiential programs and visitor amenities.
Such an approach is also considered important if museums are to move beyond their traditional role as places that primarily preserve and display artifacts and instead develop into cultural spaces capable of storytelling, education, interaction and meaningful visitor experiences.
From 2021 to 2025, the city’s museums and historical sites charging admission welcomed more than 8.42 million visitors and generated total revenue of over VND284.1 billion ($11 million).
On average, about 500,000 visitors each year benefited from admission exemptions or reductions.
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