Bảo tàng lịch sử Quốc gia

Thus, on June 11^th, 2003, the Project on building The Vietnam National Museum of History (VNMH) was directed for the Ministry of Culture – Information (the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism today) to plan by the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam (SRV). After a time of deployment, the Board of planning the Project has made surveys in some foreign museums and some ministries of Vietnam for comments and all of them agreed with the project.

Overall model of The Vietnam National Museum of History

On December 19^th, 2006, in the Decision number 281/2006/QD-TTg, the Prime Minister of the SRV approved the Project on building the VNHM. Following the Decision, the Ministry of Construction is resposible for the museum’s building and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is responsible for building the content of the new museum. This is a historic decision, showing the determination of the Party and the Government of Vietnam on building an important cultural construction for cultural heritages development. The decision also emphasized the role of museums in protecting and developing cultural heritages of the nation in the 21^st century.

Building a cultural construction to preserve and promote the Vietnamese historic heritages along with spreading Vietnamese history through artifacts and training the museum’s staff are the right policy of the Party and the Government of Vietnam.

Perspective of a corner of the VNMH (photo: Mai Huong)

The VNMH was established on the base of two museums: the National Museum of Vietnamese History and the Vietnam Museum of Revolution. So artifacts and collections of the new museum are built on collections of the two museums and the staff take important roles in the museum’s activities. The collections, built from diverse resources, introduce the Vietnamese history from the past to the modern-day chronologically and confirm the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam in the national history.

The VNMH will be a cultural construction and the most modern national museum in Vietnam that is worthy to reflect the national history. It will serve as a “data bank” for domestic and foreign visitors to study, research and discover the Vietnamese history and cultural heritages through exhibitions and artifacts. Besides, the museum also concentrates on training the staff to be more professional and capable to work in the new museum. In promises, the new museum will attract visitors through its special language that combines traditional elements with modern elements. Through original objects, the museum will make spaces for visitors to experience and discover the Vietnamese history using green technology. It also focus on serving disabled people.

Diagram of the exhibition space of the VNMH (photo: Mai Huong)

Along with the project on building the new museum, the Prime Minister of the SRV decided to establish the National Leaders Board on building the VNMH that a Deputy Prime Minister is head of the Board. And other members of the Board are from ministries that deal with the project.

The VNMH is a modern cultural construction that requires a harmonious combination between content of display and an architectural building. As an “artwork”, the museum will deliver special messeges to domestic and foreign visitors. Therefore, building the content and the form of the new museum is an important task that the Prime Minister assigned to the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to carry out. On the base of incorporating two museums: The National Museum of Vietnamese History and The Vietnam Museum of Revolution, the VNMH has collected new artifacts and documents and built projects on training staff to meet important tasks that the Party and the Government of Vietnam has given in the new stage./.

Dr. Vu Manh Ha

The Deputy Director of the VNMH

Mai An (translated)