Vietnam - Libraries and museums

The École Française d'Extrême-Orient maintained an extensive research library in Hanoi, which was transferred intact to the DRV. Now the National Library, it has about one million volumes; the bulk of the present collection has been added since 1954 and includes a substantial number of Russian titles. The General Scientific Library in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly the National Library) maintains a collection of over 800,000 volumes. Many books in the south's library system were burned following the reunification, especially in the larger libraries at Ho Chi Minh City, Hué, and Da Nang. According to official sources, the number of libraries in the country has increased since 1975. Vietnam National Universityat Hanoi Library holds 1.4 million volumes.

The collections of the Musée Louis-Finot, an archaeological and cultural museum established by the French in Hanoi, were transferred intact to the DRV. These collections, now part of the Historical Museum, contain artifacts and related material from archaeological discoveries in Thanh Hoa and Yen Bay, including a 2,500-year-old burial boat and an excellent array of bronze implements. Hanoi's National Art Gallery includes a folk-art collection and Vietnamese Bronze Age artifacts. Notable also is the Museum of the Revolution, grouping memorabilia of Vietnam's struggle for independence from the French since the early 1900s. The Army Museum, housed in the Hanoi Citadel, contains a collection of weapons and documents concerning the Indochina war. The Vietnamese Fine Arts Museum (1966) houses exhibits on the decorative and applied arts, and folk and modern art. The architecture of religious edifices and former Vietnamese imperial structures reflect the country's cultural heritage. The Ho Chi Minh City Museum, founded in 1977, has a section devoted to the revolution and another to ancient arts. The Ho Chi Minh Museum, also founded in 1977, studies his life and work.