The short answer
Yersin Museum: what visitors should know first
Go if you like medical history or want a quiet hour out of the heat. It is small and open on weekday hours only according to Wikipedia, so check opening times before you travel.
History and context
The story behind Yersin Museum
Alexandre Yersin was born in Switzerland in 1863 and became a French citizen in 1888. In 1894 he isolated the plague bacillus in Hong Kong, later named Yersinia pestis in his honour. In 1895 he set up a small laboratory in Nha Trang to make plague serum, which became a branch of the Pasteur Institute in 1905. He died at his Nha Trang home on 1 March 1943, and the house is now the museum, inaugurated in 1997.
Useful facts
Yersin Museum facts at a glance
- Location
- 8-10 Tran Phu, within the Pasteur Institute compound
- Experience type
- Small house museum
- Known for
- Yersin's instruments, letters and research
- Opened
- Inaugurated 1997, per Wikipedia
- Hours
- Weekdays only per Wikipedia; confirm locally
- Language
- Captions in French, English and Vietnamese
Why it matters
Why Yersin Museum is worth your time
Yersin is remembered in Vietnam not only for science but for decades of local work: laboratories, rubber and quinine trials, and public health. He lived in Nha Trang for around fifty years, was known locally as Ong Nam, and is still honoured with a shrine. For travellers from India, where plague once caused devastating epidemics, his story has a particular resonance.
The museum also shows an older, French colonial Nha Trang, before the resort towers. It is a rare quiet place in a seafront town and a good wet-weather option.
Highlights
What not to miss
- 01
Instruments and letters
Laboratory equipment and correspondence tell the story of the plague research.
- 02
Quiet house
A cool, calm break from the seafront.
- 03
Local hero
See why Yersin is remembered by residents.
Plan your visit
How to experience it
The museum is in the former house of Alexandre Yersin inside the Pasteur Institute compound on Tran Phu. Begin in the main room, where letters, laboratory tools and microscopes show the working life of a man who set up a plague laboratory here in 1895. Captions are in French, English and Vietnamese, so you can read at your own pace.
Look for the equipment and personal items, and read the story of how he isolated the plague bacillus in Hong Kong in 1894 before settling in Nha Trang. The museum is small, about 100 square metres according to Wikipedia, so 30 to 45 minutes is plenty. A tomb and shrine to Yersin exist elsewhere in the area; ask staff or your driver if you want to visit them.
Check the weekday opening times before you go and plan around the midday closure. It pairs well with the Oceanography Museum, as the institute was founded after a proposal from Yersin.
Plan with confidence
Small decisions that make the visit easier.
- Check weekday hours
- Avoid weekends
- Carry small cash for the ticket
- Pair with the Oceanography Museum
Know before you go
Timing, access and comfort
- Area
- 8-10 Tran Phu Boulevard, Xuong Huan, within the Pasteur Institute
- Time needed
- About 45 minutes
- Best time
- Weekday morning
- Walking level
- Easy
- Senior comfort
- A small, mostly level house museum with short distances and few steps. It is quiet and shaded, but check whether there is seating in each room. A good rest from the sun.
- Tickets and access
- Wikipedia gives weekday opening (8 am to 11 am, 2 pm to 4:30 pm), closed at weekends, and a modest adult fee; hours and prices change, so confirm before you go. Captions are in French, with English and Vietnamese.
Best for
Plan it with
Plan the practical part
Hotels near Yersin Museum
Staying close keeps journeys short — useful for early starts and for anyone who tires quickly.
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Travelling with parents?
A small, mostly level house museum with short distances and few steps. It is quiet and shaded, but check whether there is seating in each room. A good rest from the sun.
Raahzo can arrange an arrival or day companion who handles tickets, queues and pacing, and keeps the family updated.
See concierge supportFAQs
Is the Yersin Museum open at weekends?
Wikipedia lists it closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Hours may have changed, so confirm locally.
How long does it take?
About 30 to 45 minutes.
Who was Yersin?
A Swiss-born French doctor who isolated the plague bacillus in 1894 and lived in Nha Trang for around fifty years.
Sources and further reading
Timings, fees and access rules change. Recheck with the official source before you travel.
