Hai Duong Museum is now Hai Phong Museum, Site 2, at 11 Hong Quang Street in the former Hai Duong city center. Visit for the region’s archaeological collections, Chu Dau ceramics and local history. It is a different destination from the museum at 11 Dinh Tien Hoang in central Hai Phong.
As a planning estimate, allow 90 minutes to two hours for the galleries and grounds. A pottery or traditional craft session needs a separate arrangement. The museum makes most sense when you are already exploring the Hai Duong area or have a particular interest in ceramics; it deserves a deliberate stop rather than a hurried detour between transport connections.
Find the correct museum entrance
Give your driver this destination: Bảo tàng Hải Phòng, Cơ sở 2, số 11 Hồng Quang, phường Thành Đông, Hải Phòng. “Bảo tàng Hải Dương” is the former name and remains useful when explaining where you want to go.
The change of name reflects the merger of Hai Duong and Hai Phong. It does not mean the collections moved into the port city’s central museum. Save the full street address with the map pin, and check that your driver has Hong Quang Street rather than Dinh Tien Hoang Street before setting off.
If you are staying near Hai Phong’s Opera House and want a short local museum visit, compare the museums in central Hai Phong first. Site 2 is a separate journey into the former Hai Duong area.
Start with the ceramics pavilion
The Xu Dong ceramics pavilion is inside the museum grounds. Its displays connect ancient regional pottery, Chu Dau’s overseas trade in the 15th and 16th centuries, and the continuation of ceramic production today. The museum’s collections include pottery excavated around Chu Dau and ceramics recovered from the Cu Lao Cham shipwreck.
Look beyond the complete vases. Fragments, excavation information and photographs help explain how archaeologists connect objects to a production site. The modern section includes work from Chu Dau, Cay and Quao, alongside Hai Duong porcelain, so distinguish an excavated object from a modern reproduction before comparing decoration or technique.
For a more rewarding visit, choose one shape or motif to follow across several displays. Compare the body, glaze and painted detail of an old vessel with a modern piece. This gives the gallery a focus even if you do not want to read every label.
Leave time for archaeology and modern history
The museum’s regional collections extend beyond ceramics to Dong Son bronze objects and archaeological material from ancient burials. One significant object is the Huu Chung bronze drum, a recognized national treasure. Ask staff where to find it and which archaeological displays are open during your visit.
The modern history galleries tell local stories through documents and personal objects, including wartime letters. An outdoor MiG-21 aircraft adds a different scale to the visit. These areas can balance a pottery-focused morning, especially if people in your group have different interests.
For families, give children a small task: find an object used in everyday life, a decorated ceramic and an object connected with wartime history. Spend time on those three choices instead of trying to cover every case. Keep the outdoor section for a comfortable break in the weather.
Arrange craft activities separately
The museum runs practical heritage activities such as pottery, woodblock printing and making Hai Duong’s mung bean cakes. Holiday programs can also include traditional games or calligraphy. Treat these as scheduled activities with staff and materials, rather than assuming every station operates whenever the galleries are open.
Choose the activity before booking. A pottery session may focus on shaping clay; ask whether your work will be fired, whether collection or delivery is possible, and what you can actually take away that day. For woodblock printing, establish whether you will print from an existing block or take part in another stage of the process.
If children will make or eat mung bean cakes, ask about the ingredients and the level of adult help required. Give their ages when arranging the session. A program designed for a school group may need different staffing or preparation for a small visiting family.
Opening arrangements, contact and English support
Arrange a morning or afternoon visit and confirm the opening day before traveling. Allow for a midday break instead of arriving at lunchtime. Special holiday opening and an advertised event program do not establish the museum’s ordinary weekly timetable.
For experience registration, contact Hoang Thi Huong at +84 968 504 852, the museum’s named registration contact. Explain that you want Site 2 on Hong Quang Street, then give your date, group size and preferred activity. Ask for the gallery opening hours, the activity’s start and finish times, and the total charge for your group, including any materials or instruction.
English interpretation needs an explicit arrangement. Ask whether an English-speaking museum guide is available for your date or whether you should bring your own guide. If communication is difficult, have your accommodation call in Vietnamese using the museum’s full name and address.
For wheelchair users or anyone who cannot manage stairs, ask which galleries have a step-free route and whether an accessible toilet is available. Request details for the main building and ceramics pavilion separately, so you can plan around the sections you most want to see.
Build a manageable visit
- For ceramics: prioritize the ceramics pavilion, then use the remaining time for the archaeology section. Book a craft session only if you want to make something as well as view the collection.
- For a family: combine a short selection of galleries with one confirmed activity. Leave space between the museum session and your next departure.
- For a general history visit: divide your time between archaeology, modern history and the outdoor aircraft rather than spending the whole visit in one building.
If traveling from Hanoi or central Hai Phong, agree on the complete transport plan: the Hong Quang Street destination, waiting time and your onward destination. A drop-off alone is a different arrangement from a car waiting while you visit. Set the museum session first, then work backward to a departure time with your driver.
Museum collection or Chu Dau pottery village
Choose the museum to understand the history behind the pottery and see archaeological material alongside modern pieces. Choose Chu Dau pottery village and its working producer when your priority is today’s production, a showroom or an arranged making activity.
You can plan both around a ceramics interest, but they need separate access arrangements and transport. Seeing the museum collection first gives you useful context for asking about designs and techniques at the producer. Confirm both visits before committing to the combined day.