The spirit of giving

This year's Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23rd) at the Thanh Hoa Provincial Museum took place as usual, with a very touching part: receiving donated artifacts from the people.

Representatives from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Provincial Museum received artifacts donated by individuals at a seminar commemorating Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day 2024.

I've been to those donation spaces many times, and what I've noticed is the spirit emanating from the donors. Among the donors are some familiar faces. They've stepped onto that donation platform more than once.

A question that constantly ran through my mind was why those donors were able to do what many others couldn't. What motivated them? Was it out of love for heritage, or to have their names known to more people?

It wasn't until I observed them closely and listened to their simple words during the Q&A session that I found the answer.

For them, donating artifacts is a responsibility to the community, for the future of heritage, not for the sake of being honored, rewarded, or standing on a platform in front of a crowd receiving a certificate of recognition, and then hanging it up in their private living room.

Individuals who voluntarily donate artifacts are also making material donations, as many artifacts are quite valuable if they were traded on the market. They are working together to enhance the value of cultural heritage, transforming museums into cultural institutions and more attractive destinations.

The faces of the donors are ordinary and unremarkable, but above all, they possess a heartfelt love for heritage.

We all know that as artifacts become increasingly valuable, many people hoard them for themselves, causing them to wither away at the bottom of chests. This is clearly not just a common donation, but an extraordinary act. Only those who truly care about the community would do something like this.

The law permits the buying and selling of antiques, especially allowing museums to purchase artifacts for research and exhibition purposes. However, relying solely on planned budget allocations makes it very difficult for museums to acquire the best possible collection of artifacts for research and display.

The Thanh Hoa Museum has done a good job of fostering a sense of responsibility and a spirit of donating artifacts to the museum over the years. This spirit needs to be further improved to spread and multiply the spirit of donation within the community, so that the artifacts can be utilized to their fullest potential.

Hanh Nhien

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tinh-than-hien-tang-231267.htm