A legend of 100 sons descended from a dragon and a fairy said that Lac Long Quan was a dragon prince and Au Co was a fairy. They were married and Au Co layed a hundred eggs then hatched a hundred sons. The legend has been transmitted in the Vietnamese folk.
The legend has a meaning that the Vietnamese people include many ethnic groups are descended from 100 sons of a dragon prince and a fairy princess.
Typical area of the VNMH
From 100 eggs of Au Co and Lac Long Quan, 100 beautiful sons were born and Vietnam is a country that was built by the sons. The “100 sons” showed multi ethnic groups of Vietnam. And the design of the Vietnam National Museum of History derived from the legend.
Hanoi capital has a river flows from Ba Vi mountain to the West along with Tam Dao and Huong Son mountain in the North and South and opens to the East. This is a good terrain.
Following the good terrain of Hanoi capital, with West Lake and Red River in the East, the design of the museum considered the West as positive and the East as negative terrain to make a balance of positive and negative.
The new museum was designed as a dragon egg with water around. It is a symbol of the origin of the Vietnamese people. The power of history will bring much energy to develop the nation in the period of industrialization and modernization.
The building will be covered by concrete panels symbolizes for the long history of Vietnam. Layers of concrete will be form as bamboo bands and outside walls will be layered to show traditional handicrafts of Vietnam.
Overall area of the VNMH
The large roof of the building will be high and open to the East, showing the rise of the museum in future.
The new museum will be the end of a new urban area as it will locate in the centre of Hoa Binh (Peace) Park and Huu Nghi (Friendship) Park. So it will be a highlight of the new urban area in the West of West Lake.
About 500.000 cubic meters of soil from Huu Nghi Park will be used to build an artificial hill that is 10 meters high and 30.000 square meters large, forming Vietnam’s land shape.
The building was designed on “sacred line” that will communicate with the urban area. There will be a monument dedicates to Vietnamese notables that will locate on higher area based on Eastern legend of metempsychosis.
The Vietnam National Museum of History will locate in Huu Nghi (Friendship) and Hoa Binh (Peace) Park. “Friendship” and “peace” are beautiful messages that have been sent to domestic and foreign visitors who come to Hanoi. Besides, this is an important complex cultural building that contributes to cultural life, people’s spirit and development of the West area of West Lake.
Interior of the main lobby of the VNMH
M.A. Nguyen Hai Van
Mai An (translated)