From left to right: Head of the Ho Chi Minh City MuseumEducation Department Kieu Dao Phuong Vi; Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association Nguyen Xuan Tien; former Director of the War Remnants Museum Huynh Ngoc Van; Director of the Quang San Art Museum - Photo: HO LAM
"Many people are afraid of making mistakes, and when they are afraid of making mistakes, it is very difficult to dare to do something or innovate. That is the difficulty of public museums," said Ms. Van.
On the morning of June 29, a discussion on the Transformation of Museums in Vietnam was co-organized by the UNESCO Representative Office in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture and the University of Sydney Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.
The workshop is an opportunity to examine the challenges and current leadership models of museum network management in Vietnam; strengthen the capacity of museums through comprehensive, interdisciplinary dialogue; and build bridges between state-owned museums and private, independent curators.
To run a successful museum business
The War Remnants Museum is the most popular destination in Ho Chi Minh City and is one of the public museums that is completely financially autonomous, without needing state budget support since 2014.
"It was a bold decision by Ho Chi Minh City and the operating team also had a very difficult and stressful time at that time. But until today, I still think it was the right decision. Because it will make museum workers have to be disciplined in their revenue and expenditure and constantly think and be creative in how to attract the public to come to them.
"When a museum stands firmly in the hearts of the public, that is when the museum business is successful," said Ms. Ngoc Van.
"When a museum stands firmly in the hearts of the public, that is when the museum business is successful," according to Ms. Ngoc Van - Photo: HO LAM
From her practical management experience, Ms. Van said that the main source of revenue for the War Remnants Museum is ticket sales. To attract ticket buyers, there must be good content, quality professional activities, and attractive displays so that the public will want to come back again after visiting once.
In addition, compared to other museums, the War Remnants Museum also has strengths in the business of publications. The publications are not only given away but also sell very well, even having to be reprinted continuously.
She shared that regardless of the public or non-public model, the formula for success is still the same: quality display, good communication, building effective community activities...
Vietnam needs professional curators
Professor Nguyen Xuan Tien, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, said that to improve the quality of museum activities, Vietnam needs a team of professional curators:
"Currently, in Vietnam, there is no place that properly trains curators. Many people do this work in museums but are not properly named.
Abroad, curators are the ones who connect artists, works, the public and society. This team plays a key role in shaping exhibitions and conveying messages."
Mr. Tien proposed building a short-term training program in conjunction with international units to provide professional certificates for those who want to pursue curatorial work.
Sharing about how to make the public feel close to the museum, Head of the Education Department of Ho Chi Minh City Museum Kieu Dao Phuong Vi said that Ho Chi Minh City Museum will proactively reach out to the public.
"The Ho Chi Minh City Museum has an online heritage education program, teaching cultural history to students online. After the pandemic, this activity has been implemented very effectively. Currently, on average, the museum has 50 to 60 teaching points per year for more than 1,000 people spread across the province.
This is a very special communication channel of the Museum because it creates a sustainable connection with parents and students" - Ms. Vi said.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association Nguyen Xuan Tien believes that Vietnam needs a true curator - Photo: HO LAM
Preserve, spread, connect
As a private museum established two years ago, Quang San Art Museum has chosen to become a living space for art and artists.
Museum Director Nguyen Thieu Kien said the three pillars of Quang San's activities are: preservation - dissemination - connection.
"Not only displaying fine arts, Quang San also organizes fashion, music , and photography programs, collaborating with domestic and foreign curators.
The long-term vision is to tell the story of Vietnamese fine arts, especially the forgotten periods. We hope Quang San will be a place to open up a space for dialogue between generations of artists, the public and the creative community," Mr. Kien shared.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguon-thu-chu-luc-cua-bao-tang-chung-tich-chien-tranh-la-tien-ve-20250629145456245.htm
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