The National Oceanographic Museum is a leading marine research institute in Southeast Asia and one of 10 fascinating cultural and historical destinations in Vietnam. The museum boasts substantial collections of marine species and Vietnam archipelago history. It will enrich your trip to Nha Trang city with unforgettable experiences of the ocean world. Nha Trang City is a popular coastal attraction in Vietnam, given its spectacular scenery, fair weather, and abundance of tasty seafood. Amid tons of travel destinations in Nha Trang, the National Oceanographic Museum tells a different story about the underwater world that sea lovers shouldn’t miss. A visit to Nha Trang Oceanography Institute offers a great opportunity to gain insights into marine science and oceanic wildlife.
Contents
About the National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam
The National Oceanographic Museum is located inside the Institute of Oceanography – a witness to Vietnamese history. The French established the Institute of Oceanography during the colonial era in 1923. Since 1952, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology took it over and maintained it as a research institute. After the Vietnam War, in 1993, the institute became an adjoined organization for all of the marine research institutes in Vietnam and its headquarters are in Nha Trang.
Due to the development of Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography, the National Museum of Oceanography also plays an inseparable role in research and has been open to the public for nearly two centuries.
Nha Trang city is located in the Khanh Hoa province, which has favorable geography and diverse ocean ecosystems. As it has quality facilities specifically for marine research, Nha Trang Oceanography Institute is considered a leading marine research institute in Southeast Asia. Its Museum of Oceanography is the first national marine museum ranked in the top 10 most attractive museums in Vietnam based on its facilities and service quality.
The National Oceanographic Museum honorably holds the record for the most extensive collection of marine specimens in Vietnam (Vietnamese Records Book, 2012). Accordingly, the museum boasts a vast collection of 20.000 marine specimens to serve scientific and educational purposes. Besides, its large-scale aquarium is home to thousands of aquatic creatures. As a marine research and management leader, the museum has hosted various national and international events such as Sea Festival (biennially) and APEC (2017).
Undeniably, the National Oceanographic Museum has made remarkable contributions to marine education and local culture. It plays a significant role in protecting the ocean environment and raising public awareness about national underwater resources and territorial sovereignty. As a research institute and a public attraction, the museum is a trustworthy destination for those interested in marine science and deep-sea life.
Inside the Nha Trang Museum of Oceanography
Large aquariums of marine species
On the ground floor, visitors can find huge glass tanks filled with diverse sea creatures such as reef sharks, turtles, scorpionfish, anemones, puffers, lionfish, coral reefs, and seaweed. Other grounds house various-sized aquariums with 300 rare and valuable marine animals, representing different typical ecosystems. Small aquariums are teeming with eye-catching and exotic creatures. These species are featured by their typical color and shape living in coral reefs such as the family of Butterflyfish, Blue Angelfish, Sea Horse (Hippocampus spp.), Picasso fish, cleaning shrimp, etc.
The museum’s efforts are to educate the public about ocean wildlife and protect endangered species going extinct, for example, sea turtles and seals. Walking through the glass walls of aquariums allows visitors to observe and learn more about underwater dwellers vividly. Each creature’s description is available in Vietnamese and English. Besides, the museum has an inspired performance every Sunday (9 AM ~ 9:30 AM) for visitors to see how staff feed fish in aquariums.
Impressive specimen exhibitions
While the ground floor of the museum portrays vivid marine life in aquariums, the upper floor features an extraordinary collection of 20,000 specimens of 5,000 different species in saltwater and freshwater. These specimens were collected in Southeast Asia, especially in the East Sea, and have been preserved in glass containers with formaldehyde for many years.
Notably, the museum captivates visitors with giant samples of rare sea creatures. For example, there is a humpback whale’s skeleton of 18m in length and 18 tonnes in weight, which was buried underground for 200 years and excavated in the Ha Nam Province in 1994. Another skeleton of Siren (Dugong dugon), a threatened species, was found on Con Dao Island in November 1997.
Marine Resources of the Spratly and Paracel Archipelagos
A tunnel was established in the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute campus to preserve historical, geological, and biological documents about Vietnam islands and ocean space based on scientific research. A 120-meter-long specimen section with particular themes displays collected materials about the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos (Hoang Sa-Truong Sa), raising public awareness about Vietnamese marine resources, territorial sovereignty, and security.
Water activities
Besides indoor exhibitions, the museum offers visitors outdoor activities to learn more about the natural ocean wildlife, including watching coral on glass-bottom basket boats and snorkeling. These services are only open from 9 AM – 11 AM and require extra fees.
Notes for visitors to Nha Trang Oceanographic Museum
- Maintain peace within the exhibition halls
- Dress appropriately when entering the museum
- Prohibit feeding living creatures without permission
- No touching exhibition objects to preserve the valued specimens and maintain visiting quality
In the last decade, the National Oceanographic Museum of Vietnam has welcomed ever-increasing local and international visitors considering its visiting quality and significant impacts on marine education and protection of ocean ecosystems. As a research institute and a tourist attraction, the National Oceanographic Museum is a legitimate Nha Trang destination for ocean fans fascinated by marine science and sea creatures.
