Institute of Oceanography

A marine research institute since 1923, with live tanks and an eighteen-metre whale skeleton.

The Institute of Oceanography was founded in 1923 and is among the oldest marine research bodies in South-East Asia — meaning you are walking through a working research institute, of which the museum is only one corner. The tanks hold coral, sharks, sea turtles and sunfish. But the room that stays with you is the specimen store: thousands of samples in glass jars filling wooden racks from the French period, and in the middle of it the skeleton of a humpback whale eighteen metres long, excavated in 1994 from under a rice field tens of kilometres inland.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Institute of Oceanography?

Year-round; mornings are quieter

How much does it cost to visit Institute of Oceanography?

40,000d (indicative — check at the counter)

How long do you need at Institute of Oceanography?

1.5 hours

What are the opening hours of Institute of Oceanography?

06:00 - 18:00

Did you know

The institute was founded in 1923, among the oldest marine research bodies in South-East Asia.
The humpback whale skeleton displayed here is about 18m long.
It was excavated in 1994 from beneath a rice field tens of kilometres from the sea.
The specimen store holds thousands of marine samples preserved in glass jars.

Travel tips

Do not skip the specimen store at the back — many visitors see only the tanks and leave.
The institute is at Cau Da near the port — combine it with a day boat trip to the islands.

Source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1158459582

Updated: 2026-08-16