A British man has quietly traveled the world for over 50 years. He has spent all his money and time researching, collecting, and bringing weapons to Vietnam.

That is the story of Mr. Robert Taylor, a man who was deeply interested in history.

Robert Taylor’s parents said that when he was young, a friend gave him an old sword, which he was very interested in. 

Since then, Robert Taylor has become increasingly passionate about collecting these things. Later, when Robert worked as a shipwright, he used all of his money to travel worldwide to several countries. 

There, he found, collected, and bought all kinds of military artifacts from ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary days (Roman empire, Genghis Khan, Samurai and many great countries such as Britain, France, Germany, USA, Italy, Netherlands, China.)

In 1996, Robert moved to Vung Tau and finished the paperwork to bring all of the valuable artifacts back to Vietnam so they could be shown to the public. 

Robert Taylor opened The Museum of Worldwide Arms in Vung Tau in 2012, and it was named after him with the permission of the Vietnamese government. 

After being closed for a few years, from about 2016 until now, the Museum is now in a 2,000-square-meter French-style villa (No. 98 – Tran Hung Dao street – Vung Tau city).

Location of The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons

The Robert Taylor Museum of Worldwide Arms is in the middle of the city on Tran Hung Dao Street in Ward 1. Lots of people, both local and foreign, come to see this building project. 

About The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons

The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons was built in the French style. Mr. Taylor paid for the project with all the money he had at the time. 

People know he launched the museum because he had a special love for the S-shaped land and a strong desire to learn and collect old things.

The Vietnam Record Book Center said in 2011 that this was the most extensive private museum of old weapons in Vietnam.

In 2012, the museum opened. But not long after that, the museum had to shut down. 

In 2016, the museum’s new construction on Tran Hung Dao Street in Vung Tau City became a good place for it to be. 

The new museum building is French-style, built in 1912, and has about 1,500 m2 of space.

Price list for museum tickets

Adult: 

70,000 VND for each Vietnamese person; 

100,000 VND for each foreigner.

Children:

Free for children under 6 years old

From 6 to 12 years old, each child pays 35,000 VND.

Operating hours: 08h00 – 17h00 every day

For ticket sales, call 02543818369.

How do people get to The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons?

It is easy to get to the museum from Vung Tau because it is right in the middle of the coastal city. If you prefer walking, all you have to do is run quickly to the end of Tran Hung Dao Street to see a beautiful old French-style building. 

Otherwise, the taxi drivers will gladly take you to the museum for a very reasonable price.

What is in The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons?

The museum has over 3,000 weapons from all over the world, both old and new. 

Many people were captivated by the British, French, Dutch, German, and Russian military uniforms from the 17th to the 20th centuries. 

Others might be interested in ancient clothes from Japan, China, and Rome and weapons from the time of Napoleon. 

As soon as you get there, you’ll be able to see swords, knives, armor, and axes that have been around since the beginning of time. 

They were the typical weapon of the Roman Empire and of Genghis Khan.

You will also see knives, bows, and axes from some of China’s Qin, Song, and Qing dynasties used by soldiers from Asian and European armies.

There are many costumes of some generals in the Chinese army and the Japanese samurai from about 1192 to 1867, or the Mongol army’s costumes during the horse’s reign to conquer.

Proceeding to the Middle Ages exhibition area, tourists can see how the weapon system has been improved. Swords and guns were used in conquests more and more over time. 

In this area, you can learn more about the weapons used by King Napoleon Bonaparte – the person who changed the history of France and the world with his conquests around Europe, making France a mighty empire with a large territory and some power.

The last period is modern, and most weapons and clothes are from the Australian military.

More advanced weapons for the air force, infantry, and marines will satisfy any history lover’s desire to learn about war and their love of world history.

The museum has a wide range of clothes from this time, from the ancient bodyguards of the Roman Emperor to 19th-century British military clothes. 

In the late Middle Ages (15th century), Gothic armor came from Germany and the Roman Empire. It was used all over Europe during this time.

What’s more, the museum has costumes from the Vietnamese people’s army and a collection of guns for women.

In addition to military uniforms and weapons, The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons has many pictures of famous generals worldwide and four pools with many pictures of battles. 

There have been many well-known battles, like the one between England and France at Waterloo in 1815.

Visitors’ reviews The Robert Taylor Museum of Ancient Weapons

A visitor from Long An: “The museum has a lot of helpful information about weapons and uniforms. Even though I’ve only seen it in movies, I like the armor that Chinese soldiers wore during feudal dynasties.”

Account Vanpham2912: “I’ve been there three times, and there aren’t enough words to describe how wonderful the museum is. It shouldn’t be missed because you see things for the first time. The staff is friendly, cute, and eager to help. Especially two aged guides in the modern weapons area (Uncle Nam & Uncle Huong). I go here often, but every time I come back, I’m still impressed by how passionate those guides are [laugh]. Even though it was only almost 2 hours, I stayed an extra hour.” (2019)