The museum is a member of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, an academic institution of the Vietnamese government.

[4] The budget for construction of the museum was US$1.9 million, with an additional US$285,000 allocated for acquisition of artifacts.

[4] The exhibition building was designed by the architect Ha Duc Linh, a member of the Tày ethnic group, in the shape of a Đông Sơn drum, and the interior architecture was designed by the French architect Véronique Dollfus.

[4] The second exhibition building focusing on Southeast Asian ethnology was designed in a kite shape and was open in 2013.

[3] This museum has exhibits, artifacts, and informative resources, all of which shed light on the traditions, customs, and daily routines of the nation's 54 recognized ethnic groups.