The War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh city is filled with the fragranceof grass and rice, punctuated by the lingering smoke of cooking fires.Foreign visitors watch on as old women - once guerrilla fighters - cookthe rice which will then be pressed into balls.
There in the museum they can also try various kinds of foods popularduring the war years, liked baked sweet potatoes for soldiers who wentout to crawl among deadly munitions, or dried banana skins - a ratherunusual ‘specialty' consumed by revolutionary prisoners of war.
Such aspects of the recent wars in Vietnam are easily overlooked butare now experienced at one of the most popular museums in Ho Chi Minhcity.
"We invited former prisoners to come over andmake dry provisions from banana peel, and former guerrillas to make riceballs and baked fish," says Huynh Ngoc Van, director of the museum.
The event of sharing food with the veterans in a cosy fire-side chatis considered a unique specialty by the museum. "While making food,these former soldiers also tell stories about the miserably hard wardays," she says.
This special event focusing on thestories of soldiers' food has attracted a large number of foreignvisitors to the museum in order to experience what has been termed"heritage tourism" - a type of interactive exposition that many museumsnow offer.
"The museum's revolutionary war banquetended with no leftovers, and with 500 foreign visitors all left feelingquite satisfied," Van adds proudly.
There are134 museums at national and provincial levels nationwide in Vietnam,including specialised and private museums, in addition to over 3,000historical relics sites to be visited.
In directrelation to the fast increase in the number of museums is the number ofvisitors, which illustrates not only the popularity of the institutionsbut also highlights how museums remain an important part of society, notonly culturally but also economically.
According toNguyen Van Cuong, director of the Vietnam National Museum of History,museums, together with cultural and heritage tourism, contributesignificantly to the tourism industry. He says he believes therelationship between museums and tourism is a strong and sustainableone.
"The museums and their artefacts not onlypreserve the essence of the past, but also attract both domestic andforeign visitors, contributing to the growing industry," Cuong says.
He expresses hi belief that museums can help express and maintainnational pride in traditions, culture and history. According to manytour agencies, museums and relic sites are the most attractivedestinations for tourists, especially foreigners.
"Most domestic and foreign travel agents have led their customers to theWar Remnants Museum," says museum director Van, adding that manytourists have confirmed that they have visited the museum more thanonce.
However, currently not all museums and placesdisplaying relics have been able to manage the demand on theircollections. The Vietnam National Museum of History preserves thelargest number of precious artefacts in the country, over 200,000.
Even though the objects are beautiful, the way of displaying them isstill boring, so keeping the exhibitions fresh and rotating the objectsfrom the storages vaults to the display room remains a challenge fortheir staff.
Then there are days when specialobjects are displayed the halls are packed with crowds, furtherdeterring tour guides from leading their groups through the doors of themuseum.
"That explains why many tour guideshesitate to lead the tourists to the Vietnam National Museum ofHistory," says Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoitourist Travel Company.
Vietnam has just had three museums ranked among the most attractive inthe world, namely the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the Vietnam FineArts Museum and especially the stand-out Vietnamese Women's Museum,which is rated as one the 25 most attractive museums in Asia.
Despite these accolades the museums and heritage tourism operatorshave not co-ordinated with one another in a mutually beneficial way, sothere remains a glaring opportunity left unrealised.
Heritage tourism is gradually becoming another string to Vietnam'stourism bow. According to Vu Manh Ha, deputy director of the VietnamNational Museum of History, co-operation between the museums and touroperators offers opportunities for visitors to learn about Vietnam'sculture and history, but he sees it as a mutually beneficialrelationship for all parties involved.
"Vietnam'smuseums contain many rooms with many objects, which take up to severalhours to contemplate. But tour guides allow only two hours, even onehour, so it is important that the tours are tailored specifically tothese groups of tourists," Ke agrees. "After each tour, feedback is sentto us, then the travel agents and museums will discuss this with eachother."
To turn museums into key destinations on anytravel itinerary - and importantly for tourists in general - it isnecessary to know the potential heritage treasure preserved withinmuseums, this includes renovating museum lay-outs, displays, content, aswell as their services.
Ha says the museums inVietnam are trying to innovate and upgrade the displays in order toattract more visitors, this includes building a pilot 3D museum. "Thevisitors come to the museums not only to contemplate and study theexhibits but also to enjoy an atmosphere with interesting informationbooths, souvenir shops or restaurants. They will not consider trips tomuseums that may be a tedious activity," he says.
But the most important factor is that the museums have to possess a keypoint that can draw the attention of the visitors, like a themedexhibition or collection. For example, the War Remnants Museum has heldmany special exhibitions with probing and interesting content, such asthe exhibition highlighting women's activities during wartime and lovein a time of war.
"In 2007, the Love During Warexhibition, brought in 160,000 visitors in over two months, and earlythis year, the Wartime Children exhibition attracted 265,000 visitorsafter five months," says Van.
Tour guidesplay an important role in helping visitors to comprehend the museum'scontent and to get a more thorough understanding of the cultural contextthat the artifacts come from. Not only understanding their own history,culture and society, the guides also have to be fluent in the foreignlanguages and confident at conversing with a wide range of people.
This is why the Vietnam National Museum of History has paid specialattention to the training of its curators. So far 20 people have beenselected from specialised universities to work in the museum. "When theystart to work in tourism, they will certainly have opportunities towiden their specific knowledge through interacting with the workingenvironment," says Cuong, National History Museum director.
Another important aspect of spreading information and popularising themuseums is the use of the internet. The Vietnam National Museum ofHistory website has had over 8 million hits. The museum producesleaflets and post-cards to show off its unique artefacts, like itscollection of colourful glaze porcelain, as well as publishing its ownscientific research.
"In the years to come, themuseum will improve advertising, and will especially co-operate moreclosely with top-notch Vietnam travel agents to broadcast its image bothon both the domestic and international front," Cuong finishes. He isconfident that museums are moving in a positive direction and are takinginto account the needs of its changing audience.
"The collaboration between museums and heritage tourism is a sounddirection for our development, it confirms the role of the museums andworks to achieve our goal of turning them into desirable spots forvisitors taking a journey to discover the country's history andculture".-VNA
There in the museum they can also try various kinds of foods popularduring the war years, liked baked sweet potatoes for soldiers who wentout to crawl among deadly munitions, or dried banana skins - a ratherunusual ‘specialty' consumed by revolutionary prisoners of war.
Such aspects of the recent wars in Vietnam are easily overlooked butare now experienced at one of the most popular museums in Ho Chi Minhcity.
"We invited former prisoners to come over andmake dry provisions from banana peel, and former guerrillas to make riceballs and baked fish," says Huynh Ngoc Van, director of the museum.
The event of sharing food with the veterans in a cosy fire-side chatis considered a unique specialty by the museum. "While making food,these former soldiers also tell stories about the miserably hard wardays," she says.
This special event focusing on thestories of soldiers' food has attracted a large number of foreignvisitors to the museum in order to experience what has been termed"heritage tourism" - a type of interactive exposition that many museumsnow offer.
"The museum's revolutionary war banquetended with no leftovers, and with 500 foreign visitors all left feelingquite satisfied," Van adds proudly.
There are134 museums at national and provincial levels nationwide in Vietnam,including specialised and private museums, in addition to over 3,000historical relics sites to be visited.
In directrelation to the fast increase in the number of museums is the number ofvisitors, which illustrates not only the popularity of the institutionsbut also highlights how museums remain an important part of society, notonly culturally but also economically.
According toNguyen Van Cuong, director of the Vietnam National Museum of History,museums, together with cultural and heritage tourism, contributesignificantly to the tourism industry. He says he believes therelationship between museums and tourism is a strong and sustainableone.
"The museums and their artefacts not onlypreserve the essence of the past, but also attract both domestic andforeign visitors, contributing to the growing industry," Cuong says.
He expresses hi belief that museums can help express and maintainnational pride in traditions, culture and history. According to manytour agencies, museums and relic sites are the most attractivedestinations for tourists, especially foreigners.
"Most domestic and foreign travel agents have led their customers to theWar Remnants Museum," says museum director Van, adding that manytourists have confirmed that they have visited the museum more thanonce.
However, currently not all museums and placesdisplaying relics have been able to manage the demand on theircollections. The Vietnam National Museum of History preserves thelargest number of precious artefacts in the country, over 200,000.
Even though the objects are beautiful, the way of displaying them isstill boring, so keeping the exhibitions fresh and rotating the objectsfrom the storages vaults to the display room remains a challenge fortheir staff.
Then there are days when specialobjects are displayed the halls are packed with crowds, furtherdeterring tour guides from leading their groups through the doors of themuseum.
"That explains why many tour guideshesitate to lead the tourists to the Vietnam National Museum ofHistory," says Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoitourist Travel Company.
Vietnam has just had three museums ranked among the most attractive inthe world, namely the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the Vietnam FineArts Museum and especially the stand-out Vietnamese Women's Museum,which is rated as one the 25 most attractive museums in Asia.
Despite these accolades the museums and heritage tourism operatorshave not co-ordinated with one another in a mutually beneficial way, sothere remains a glaring opportunity left unrealised.
Heritage tourism is gradually becoming another string to Vietnam'stourism bow. According to Vu Manh Ha, deputy director of the VietnamNational Museum of History, co-operation between the museums and touroperators offers opportunities for visitors to learn about Vietnam'sculture and history, but he sees it as a mutually beneficialrelationship for all parties involved.
"Vietnam'smuseums contain many rooms with many objects, which take up to severalhours to contemplate. But tour guides allow only two hours, even onehour, so it is important that the tours are tailored specifically tothese groups of tourists," Ke agrees. "After each tour, feedback is sentto us, then the travel agents and museums will discuss this with eachother."
To turn museums into key destinations on anytravel itinerary - and importantly for tourists in general - it isnecessary to know the potential heritage treasure preserved withinmuseums, this includes renovating museum lay-outs, displays, content, aswell as their services.
Ha says the museums inVietnam are trying to innovate and upgrade the displays in order toattract more visitors, this includes building a pilot 3D museum. "Thevisitors come to the museums not only to contemplate and study theexhibits but also to enjoy an atmosphere with interesting informationbooths, souvenir shops or restaurants. They will not consider trips tomuseums that may be a tedious activity," he says.
But the most important factor is that the museums have to possess a keypoint that can draw the attention of the visitors, like a themedexhibition or collection. For example, the War Remnants Museum has heldmany special exhibitions with probing and interesting content, such asthe exhibition highlighting women's activities during wartime and lovein a time of war.
"In 2007, the Love During Warexhibition, brought in 160,000 visitors in over two months, and earlythis year, the Wartime Children exhibition attracted 265,000 visitorsafter five months," says Van.
Tour guidesplay an important role in helping visitors to comprehend the museum'scontent and to get a more thorough understanding of the cultural contextthat the artifacts come from. Not only understanding their own history,culture and society, the guides also have to be fluent in the foreignlanguages and confident at conversing with a wide range of people.
This is why the Vietnam National Museum of History has paid specialattention to the training of its curators. So far 20 people have beenselected from specialised universities to work in the museum. "When theystart to work in tourism, they will certainly have opportunities towiden their specific knowledge through interacting with the workingenvironment," says Cuong, National History Museum director.
Another important aspect of spreading information and popularising themuseums is the use of the internet. The Vietnam National Museum ofHistory website has had over 8 million hits. The museum producesleaflets and post-cards to show off its unique artefacts, like itscollection of colourful glaze porcelain, as well as publishing its ownscientific research.
"In the years to come, themuseum will improve advertising, and will especially co-operate moreclosely with top-notch Vietnam travel agents to broadcast its image bothon both the domestic and international front," Cuong finishes. He isconfident that museums are moving in a positive direction and are takinginto account the needs of its changing audience.
"The collaboration between museums and heritage tourism is a sounddirection for our development, it confirms the role of the museums andworks to achieve our goal of turning them into desirable spots forvisitors taking a journey to discover the country's history andculture".-VNA
