The Nan National Museum is located at the original site of the palace of the Feudal Lord of Nan. The building was originally constructed by Phrachao Suriyaphong Pharidet in 1903 to replace his former wooden residence. After the death of Chao Maha Brahma Surathada, the last Feudal Lord of Nan, his descendants donated this palace to the government in 1931 for use as the provincial hall. In 1973 the Fine Arts Department was permitted to use this building and location for the establishment of Nan National Museum.

Exhibitions
The National Museum of Nan is simultaneously an art history, archaeological and ethnological museum. the exhibitions are arranged to emphasize mainly these aspects. They are separated into two parts. the exhibition rooms on the second floor of the building feature art history and archaeological data and evidence. The rooms on the ground floor exhibit ethnological data concerning the native people and the minority groups living within the boundaries of Nan Province. The exhibition rooms on the second
floor are divided into two sections. The first is the main hall which used to be the throne hall of family tree of the Feudal Lord,historical photographs, art objects, ancient currency, weapons and inscriptions. The second part exhibits art history and archaeological information and findings remaining from the Prehistoric times until the Historical Period. The black elephant tusks which have been considered
the invaluable treasure of Nan since ancient time is exhibited here.
On the ground floor there are 6 exhibition rooms which cover the exhibition of the ethnological data concerning the native's way of life,i.e. house design, utensils used in everyday life, cloth weaving and various styles of local cloth products.Also, the exhibits show the way of life of 5 minority groups : the thai Lue, the Hmong, the Yao, the Thin and the Mlabri (Tong Luang).
The museum is open Wednesdays - Sundays from 9.00 AM until 4.00 PM, except national holidays.