Quang Ninh Museum reopens to visitors after Typhoon No. 3.

Việt Nam•30/09/2024

After more than three weeks of focusing all resources on overcoming the severe consequences of Typhoon No. 3, the Quang Ninh Museum reopened to visitors on September 30th, one day earlier than previously planned. On this occasion, the museum also introduced an automated audio guide service to meet the needs of a wide range of domestic and international visitors.

The plasterboard wall in the lobby of the Quang Ninh Museum, which was completely damaged after the storm, was quickly repaired and restored.

Typhoon No. 3 (Yagi), with its devastating power, caused severe damage to the Quang Ninh Museum, a key tourist attraction in the province with unique architecture. Thousands of square meters of glass were shattered, many steel frames were blown away, and the museum suffered extensive damage; trees and landscaping were knocked down, buildings and posters were blown away; many walls were cracked and waterlogged; the electrical and water systems were damaged; and a large amount of solid waste was scattered in the environment…

From September 16th, the provincial museum's leadership launched a 15-day campaign mobilizing all staff and workers to participate in khắc phục hậu quả (remedying the consequences) and determined to reopen as soon as possible. With the support of the army and militia forces, just one week after the storm subsided, the museum 's appearance was gradually restored.

Mr. Do Quyet Tien, Director of the Quang Ninh Museum, said: After working with insurance companies, the total estimated cost to repair the damage is nearly 4 billion VND. Of that, the estimated cost for repairing and replacing the 1,000 square meters of broken outdoor glass is nearly 2 billion VND. Currently, we have only carried out temporary repairs and will continue construction as soon as possible. For other damaged facilities, we have proactively advanced funds to carry out repairs immediately, avoiding prolonged closure. As a financially independent institution, in addition to the costs covered by insurance, we will have to mobilize our own resources and make every effort to overcome the difficulties.

A group of Thai tourists visited the Yen Tu - Tran Dynasty Buddhism exhibition space at the Quang Ninh Museum.

On the morning of September 30th, immediately after reopening, the museum welcomed many international visitors. Mr. Tiam Lawtiantong, a tourist from Thailand, shared: "Our group of 14 people had planned this trip to Quang Ninh quite a while ago. When we learned that Quang Ninh suffered significant damage from typhoon number 3, we were quite worried. But when we arrived, we saw that everything had returned to normal. I was very impressed with today's museum visit, especially the space dedicated to Yen Tu - Tran Dynasty Buddhism, where we are standing. Thailand is a Buddhist country, so I felt a sense of connection and spent a lot of time listening to the presentation."

Alongside general cleaning, repairs, and infrastructure reinforcement, the Provincial Museum has also spent time in recent days reorganizing its exhibition space, maintaining and supplementing exhibits to ensure scientific accuracy and greater diversity of content.

Notably, on the reopening day, the Auto Guide system was officially launched to serve visitors after a long period of preparation. The content editorial team selected the most unique and outstanding artifacts in each exhibition space, investing time in researching numerous reliable sources to ensure the explanatory content was accurate, engaging, and concise. In approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds, visitors can grasp information about the artifact and its related historical context. Currently, the system is available in two languages, Vietnamese and English, and will continue to be upgraded based on visitor feedback. This is an effort by the Museum to promote digital transformation and improve service quality.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen, Head of Service Management and Exploitation Department, Quang Ninh Museum, said: "Currently, the number of international visitors to the Museum is increasingly diverse in nationality and language, so this service is extremely necessary. In addition, the automated audio guide system will be very useful when there is an overload of visitors, given that the museum's team of guides consists of fewer than 10 people. Especially, this service is aimed at visitors who want a quiet and independent tour, allowing them to explore the exhibits they like on their own. After the trial period, we will gather feedback from visitors to make adjustments and upgrade the service to include additional languages such as Chinese and French. Furthermore, we are preparing to add QR codes so visitors can scan them with their phones to find information about the exhibits."

Staff at the Quang Ninh Museum guide visitors on how to use the Auto Guide automated audio commentary service.

Tourists are excited to experience the automated audio guide service.

Ms. Vu Thi Kim Anh, a tourist from Hai Phong, expressed her satisfaction after experiencing the Quang Ninh Museum's Auto Guide system: "During the recent storm, Quang Ninh province in general and the Quang Ninh Museum in particular suffered heavy damage, so my family decided to visit Ha Long and the museum as a show of support. Especially, I was one of the first visitors to use the automatic guide system and found it very convenient to be able to proactively explore the spaces and exhibits I liked."

From the beginning of 2024 to the present, Quang Ninh Museum has welcomed nearly 682,000 visitors, generating nearly 20 billion VND in ticket sales revenue. In the remaining months of the year, Quang Ninh Museum will continue to closely cooperate with travel agencies, strengthen digital transformation, improve service quality, and strive to achieve the target of welcoming 800,000 visitors assigned by the province, with ticket sales revenue reaching 22.6 billion VND.

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