Photo courtesy of www.talkvietnam.com
From
NEWS REPORTS
The
government’s plan to spend $541 million on a national history museum in Ha Noi
has been criticized by experts and the public alike, as the abundant museums
currently open draw few local visitors.
Analysts
said what Viet Nam’s museums need is not another sum of money, but improved
staffs and curatorial services, while newspaper readers nationwide have cited
the country’s lack of schools, hospitals, roads and food for the hungry as part
of their questioning of the rationale behind the investment, a Sai Gon newspaper said in a recent
report.
Many
people have pointed to the Ha Noi Museum, which cost more than $96 million to
build, but which recently closed and is not set reopen until 2014 at the
soonest, as it drew poor attendance after opening in 2010 as part of the
capital’s 1,000th anniversary celebration.
“Will
the thousands of billions of [dollars] bring any positive changes to Viet Nam’s
cultural life, or will it be another waste?” asked Professor Phan Huy Le,
chairman of Viet Nam History Association.
He
said the plan needs to be rethought carefully.
The
government, however, has said nothing to indicate it will amend plans for the
new natural history museum.
The
Ministry of Construction said it will use tax revenues from the state budget to
build the building that would hypothetically be completed by July 2016. But
nothing more specific has been announced.
A
number of cultural experts refused to be interviewed by the newspaper, and
those who were interviewed had little to say, as the government did not consult
them before announcing the project.
But
they all expressed doubt that four years would be enough time to acquire the
necessary human resources and fill the building with exhibits, which are slated
to include an outdoor section for large relics and cultural spaces.
Dr.
Nguyen Van Luc, director of the Viet Nam National Museum of Nature, said the
relics and curators need to be prepared along with the construction.
He
said it took his museum, a prominent one among Viet Nam’s some 150 museums,
more than 10 years to build.
Foreign
experts are also concerned about staffing the new museum.
Christine
Hemmet, a curator at the Quai Branly Museum in France, who has made various
contributions to museums in Viet Nam, said she has repeatedly mentioned to
Vietnamese professors that the country lacks quality curators.
She
said during her time in Viet Nam, she found that most museum curators needed
further training.
“Viet
Nam does not need to add numbers and size, but must upgrade the quality of its
museums,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.
Local
experts said not only employees need improvement, but the exhibits themselves
need to be upgraded.
They
said museums in Viet Nam can be proud of their large number and diversity of
relics, but there are not many original items, they are not arranged
scientifically, and are rarely updated.
Dr.
Nguyen Van Huy, former director of the Museum of Ethnology, said museum staffs need
to become acquainted with the modern style of arrangement.
Huy
said the exhibits at many museums lack proper explanations.
Phan
Cam Thuong, a culture researcher, said many museums in Viet Nam resemble
warehouses. He said even large museums have made few innovations despite the
abundance of new scientific findings.
Museum
staff members must conduct regular research in order to update their exhibits
and this is simply not happening in Viet Nam.
“Few
people have the chance to travel internationally or learn about world history,
so museums are supposed to be a small version of the world and its past.
“In
other words, it should be a place to learn and be entertained,” Thuong was
cited as saying in the report.
He
said Vietnamese people do not experience that at museums at home, “so it’s
natural that they are against another new one.”
Experts
said Viet Nam might not need another history museum but could use some new ones
which are connected to people’s daily lives, such as one dedicated to
contemporary art.
“Farmers
could surely benefit from an agriculture museum, where they would learn
breeding and farming techniques from history to the present,” Thuong said.
Dr.
Huy of the Museum of Ethnology also said museums need to do more to attract
more young people, few of whom list visiting museums among their pastimes.
He
said that like any form of art and entertainment, museums need to fulfill
public demand.
Thus,
instead of having a costly big new museum, he said, Viet Nam would be better
off building small regional ones that cater to the demands of small communities
in each city and province.
“People
will only visit museums if they feel connected.”
