Building a brand for heritage

While possessing invaluable historical significance, new and appropriate communication methods are needed to make these heritage sites known to the public, and conversely, to allow them to fully realize their inherent value, in line with the trends of the 4.0 era.

The Ho Chi Minh City History Museum attracts visitors with its modern and youthful brand identity and communication methods.

Museum branding

Ho Chi Minh City has one of the highest numbers of public museums in the country. However, exploiting this potential still faces many limitations. There are many reasons for this situation, including the subjective limitations in the communication and visitor outreach methods of these museums.

Faced with this reality, museums in Ho Chi Minh City have begun to change. A prime example is the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum (2 Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). Despite nearly 100 years of operation, until recently, the museum only had one brand identity: the architectural logo of the museum building. In 2024, the museum began transforming its communication methods, starting with a new brand identity, and immediately won an award in the category of "Impressive Brand Repositioning Campaign" at the Vietnam Creative Advertising Awards at the end of 2024.

Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, analyzed: “Building a new ‘brand’ identity for the museum is seen as a way to break away from old impressions, historical prejudices, or elements that are no longer relevant to the present. However, this needs to be done skillfully to avoid creating a feeling of ‘alienation’ for those who are familiar with the museum’s old image. The new brand identity helps the museum redefine its position and role, not only as a place to preserve history but also as a cultural, tourist , and academic destination.”

From the familiar image of a terracotta dragon head from the Tran Dynasty, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, in collaboration with Zám Studio (a cultural branding and development unit), has developed a new design featuring a dragon from the Tran Dynasty radiating brilliantly in four directions, inviting visitors to explore the museum's heritage. This design is part of a set of 12 designs representing different historical periods and feudal dynasties displayed at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History. "After launching the museum's brand identity with the message 'History is never old,' the museum's Facebook fan page gained nearly 2 million likes in just two weeks," a representative from the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History added.

Following its brand identity development and communication campaigns, the War Remnants Museum (28 Vo Van Tan Street, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) has launched a new communication campaign with the message "Because love is victory." A representative from the War Remnants Museum stated: "In this communication campaign, the museum hopes to spread to every visitor the love for the homeland and the aspiration for peace – the noble way of life of the Vietnamese people, which has crystallized into extraordinary strength that has led to the historical victories of a small country."

Director DOAN NGOC MINH, Founder of the media website Say Hello Viet Nam: Balancing traditional values ​​and innovation.

Museums and historical sites should have a brand identity to attract the public, especially young people and international tourists. This shouldn't just be about logos or colors, but more importantly, about creative and engaging storytelling, while also expanding opportunities for collaboration with tourism and education. To do this well, modern tools such as short videos, vivid graphics, or virtual reality technology should be applied to provide visitors with more novel experiences. When this is achieved, heritage sites will become more accessible, attractive, and have lasting appeal to the public.

Setting trends for heritage

In Ho Chi Minh City, heritage communication is presented with many opportunities thanks to the trend of experiential tourism and the development of technology. However, challenges remain, such as insufficiently engaging content, a lack of emotional connection, and failure to fully utilize the power of social media.

Director Doan Ngoc Minh, founder of the Say Hello Viet Nam media website, shared: “We need a new approach: building creative communication campaigns, applying digital technology to the tourism experience, and collaborating with KOLs and influencers in the tourism and culture sector. More importantly, heritage should not only be preserved but also retold in an inspiring way so that the younger generation can love and approach it in their own way. With the combination of technology, storytelling (using words, images, and videos to convey a message), and community participation, cultural heritage communication will develop even more strongly.”

To integrate heritage into contemporary life, for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City, a content creation contest themed "Connecting Heritage - Creating the Future" is being organized by the Journalism and Communication Branch and the Cultural Heritage Branch of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture - two branches under the Ho Chi Minh City Cultural Heritage Association. The contest is not only a creative playground for young people who love digital content, but also an effective form of communication, helping to instill the value of cultural heritage in the hearts of the public. When the public themselves become storytellers, and heritage is recreated through the creative perspective of the younger generation, that is the most sustainable and effective way of communicating.

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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/xay-dung-thuong-hieu-cho-di-san-post800438.html