Visitors are constantly increasing, what should museums in Ho Chi Minh City do in the face of this great opportunity?

At the City-wide Cultural Heritage Conference on the morning of November 24 at Ton Duc Thang Museum, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Minh Nhut said that it is estimated that in 2025, the number of visitors to museums in Ho Chi Minh City will be about 4 million.

Foreign visitors visit the War Remnants Museum - Photo: TTD

According to Mr. Nhut, the fact that the public and tourists are visiting museums in the city is a good and noteworthy sign.

Promoting the strengths of museums to serve the public

Mr. Nhut added that out of 4 million visitors, there were about 1.3 million foreign visitors, accounting for 1/5 of the total number of foreign visitors to Ho Chi Minh City.

To have today's achievements is a great effort of the museum industry in particular and the city's cultural sector in general.

Currently, the city has 25 museums, of which 9 are under the management of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, 4 are under the management of central ministries and branches, and 12 are non-public museums.

Mr. Nhut said that in the period of 2021-2025, the department has created favorable conditions to support and guide the establishment of 8/12 non-public museums, so the number of non-public museums has tripled compared to 10 years ago.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Nhut shared at the conference - Photo: QUOC THANH

Fortunately, museums in the city are currently promoting their value well. Of the 9 museums, 7 are ranked first and 2 are ranked second.

It is noteworthy that the whole country has only 18 museums ranked first, so the achievements of the city's museums are very encouraging. These 7 museums are also part of the ICOM system of the international museum system.

Not only state museums, many non-public museums have promoted dynamism with exhibitions and interesting topics to create events, attract tourists, and contribute significantly to the overall development of city museum activities.

The number of visitors to the War Remnants Museum is among the highest in the country - Photo: TTD

Museums should have their own unique features.

Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, former Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, emphasized that the city has a museum that is nearly 100 years old, such as the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.

The story of the museum's birth is a brand, a style that was shaped from the very first collections along with the names of the first museum experts and curators, who were French and Vietnamese.

Ms. Ly raised the question with a 100-year horizon, what will we do now to develop this precious museum until 2030, and a strategic vision until 2045?

She thinks the city needs to have more investment plans for development. According to her, the policy for this museum is to invest in research, training, and domestic and international academic exchanges.

The War Remnants Museum is a typical example of "demand" being greater than "supply". The museum has been in operation for 50 years, with 3 million visitors per year, making it one of the few most visited museums in Vietnam.

She believes that the museum has a good location, experienced and well-trained staff, and a growing public. Importantly, the museum has the mission of preserving memories and building peace , so if properly invested and developed, the War Remnants Museum will be worthy of national and international stature.

Ms. Minh Ly believes that the city needs to invest more so that museums do not overlap and have their own unique colors - Photo: QUOC THANH

There are also the Southern Women's Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, two museums of famous people: the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ton Duc Thang Museum... Each museum is trying to promote its own internal strength to attract tourists, meeting the public's needs for enjoyment, research, and learning.

Delegates hope that the city's museums need to make more efforts to avoid duplication, gradually forming unique, unique and interesting museums following three trends: academic, academic, ideological; education and creativity; experience, entertainment and community culture. Know how to apply technology well and effectively to enhance value, so that museums can tell the public really attractive and meaningful stories about the city's history and culture.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khach-tang-khong-ngung-cac-bao-tang-o-tp-hcm-lam-gi-truoc-co-hoi-lon-20251124153044835.htm