Rescuing private museums

Despite being envisioned as spaces for cultural experiences, education, and creative destinations, the majority of private museums currently face comprehensive shortages in facilities, personnel, and funding.

On May 28th, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports organized a meeting with non-governmental museums in the city and introduced the 2026 Creative Design Festival.

My only fear is that the money from ticket sales won't be enough to print the tickets to sell.

To date, there are approximately 218 museums nationwide, with 81 of them being privately owned. However, the actual operational picture reveals many worrying dark areas. According to a report from Ms. Ngoc Hoa, Director of the Hanoi Creative Activities Coordination Center, exhibitions in privately owned museums absolutely dominate with themes of history and culture (60%), followed by art/fine arts (24%) and science /specialized fields (16%).

In terms of visitor numbers, the majority (43.3%) of museums receive fewer than 5,000 visitors per year. Regarding technology, 52% of institutions still manage artifacts manually, with only 9% applying high technology such as virtual reality or 3D scanning. Furthermore, 65.2% of institutions reported not having accessed any specific support programs from the government.

Artifacts in the Lai Xa Photography Museum.

These figures are vividly illustrated by the desperate plea for help from representatives of the Lai Xa Photography Museum. Despite its unique professional value, the museum is facing severe deterioration after many years of operation: Without a heat protection system, high temperatures have caused numerous cracks in the glass display cases for cameras. The expanding concrete roof leaks during the rainy season, leaving staff with no choice but to use buckets to catch the water and clean, directly threatening the extremely fragile paper artifacts. Basic equipment such as lighting and air conditioning are also severely damaged.

Having operated for nearly 10 years solely on enthusiasm, without salaries or benefits, the museum has failed to attract young people. Currently, the youngest staff member is almost 60 years old and completely incapable of handling the demands of digitalization.

The museum representative lamented, likening himself to a "temple caretaker," only capable of looking after the museum and opening its doors. Reporting the difficulties to the local authorities resulted in the response that it was "not within the budget," while the museum itself lacked the funds to repair or expand its visitor experience spaces. Without government support, these cherished museums will gradually fade away.

"We haven't sold tickets for almost a decade. We're worried that the number of tickets sold won't be enough to cover the printing costs," a representative from the Lai Xa Photography Museum stated.

Mr. Nguyen The Hung, Vice President and Secretary General of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, affirmed that the system of non-governmental museums plays a very important role and shares the same mission of serving the community and preserving heritage as public museums.

He also stated that running a museum is an extremely difficult job. Many private museums around the world are founded out of personal passion for collecting, but to maintain operations, they must prepare operating funds for many years, and also know how to connect with businesses and the community to seek support.

Referring to the current situation, Mr. Nguyen The Hung acknowledged that the Vietnamese museum system still has many weaknesses, especially in the application of technology and digital transformation.

"To achieve digital transformation, we must first digitize physical objects and complete the data. If we don't digitize and only manage using software, we'll only be at the statistical level and won't create real interaction with the public," he analyzed.

According to him, even many public museums with better resources haven't been able to do much in this area, so private museums face even greater difficulties.

Mr. Nguyen The Hung also expressed his hope that Hanoi would soon issue specific policies for the non-governmental museum system, especially in the context of the amended Capital City Law which has granted the city more special mechanisms for cultural development.

Digitalization and the collaborative partnership.

Director of the Hanoi Museum, Nguyen Tien Da.

In order to translate these recommendations into action, the Director of the Hanoi Museum, Nguyen Tien Da, has made many practical commitments to collaborate and share resources for mutual development.

In the coming period, Mr. Da said he will focus on implementing the following solutions:

Digital mapping: Developing a digital map of non-public museums integrated into the Hanoi Museum platform and the Creative City website, making it easier for visitors to find locations and activities. This plan is expected to complete the digital data before July for integration into the city's common application.

Hands-on support: The Hanoi Museum is ready to send professional staff to assist private organizations in inventorying, preserving artifacts, and rearranging exhibition spaces.

Anticipating a policy boost: Notably, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports is developing three major resolutions related to the night-time economy, heritage preservation, and investment attraction. Mr. Da likened them to a grand avenue, saying, "Once these resolutions are issued, they will be like a major highway, and museums will be the means to develop along that road."

Celebrating creativity: We propose establishing awards for exhibition design ideas to stimulate innovation in engaging the public.

A special exhibition lasting over 4 months at the 2.3 trillion VND museum in Hanoi: The outdoor space in front of the Hanoi Museum - a museum worth 2.3 trillion VND - has been transformed into a special exhibition space for the "Sailing" exhibition, open to the public from May 22nd to September 31st, 2026.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/giai-cuu-bao-tang-ngoai-cong-lap-2520601.html