LAUNCHING DO HUNG MUSEUM OF JEWELRY OF 54 VIETNAMESE ETHNIC GROUPS

Because of this rich diversity, the Museum of Jewelry of 54 Vietnamese Ethnic Groups was born with original artifacts and jewelry dating back more than 2,500 years to the 20th century of 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups. The purpose is to introduce and reflect the 54 interwoven, vibrant, beautiful and diverse cultural nuances of the Vietnamese ethnic groups to international friends. According to experts, the social strata of thousands of years ago are clearly shown through jewelry. Jewelry shows personality, art, class, and reflects that historical period instead of being expressed in language.

Meanwhile, the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace Museum displays artifacts of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family, from jewelry, daily pleasures of princes and princesses to more valuable items serving the operation of the court.

The Nguyen Dynasty was the last monarchy in Vietnamese history, lasting for 143 years, established after Nguyen Anh (King Gia Long) ascended the throne in 1802 and King Bao Dai abdicated in 1945. The Nguyen Dynasty marked a turbulent period in Vietnam’s history, especially the French invasion in the mid-19th century.

Dr. Le Thanh Hai – Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thua Thien – Hue highly appreciated the artifacts that collector Do Hung brought to display at the two museums. He said that he had encouraged and urged Mr. Do Hung to establish a museum to serve the public many years ago, but now it has come true.

“The number of valuable artifacts that collector Do Hung has is huge and is currently being kept in Hoc Mon, Ho Chi Minh City. This is a whole work of his heart over the past 30 years. Although only about 30% of the total can be displayed here, I think the artifacts are very valuable and deserve to be recognized as national treasures. The establishment of a non-public museum like this contributes significantly to serving the community, helping people understand and love the historical and cultural values ​​of the nation”, Mr. Hai affirmed.

Thousands of antiques displayed in the two museums were collected and purchased by Mr. Do Hung from many different sources. The valuable artifacts are often owned by foreigners, he had to buy them at auction mainly from France. Notably, in this museum launch, there were antiques of King Kien Phuc (reigning in 1883-1884) that Mr. Hung had just auctioned from France and were displayed in the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace Museum. Mr. Do Hung said that collecting rare antiques is not easy. There are antiques that are passed down from father to son, family heirlooms, and some that have been passed down for generations, so he decided not to sell them. He still persevered, the rain soaked the ground, understanding that his items had found an owner – the items that brought real value to the public, so he gave them up.

From the experience gained over the past 8 years of traveling to many countries around the world, Mr. Do Hung personally arranged the floor plan and worked with the architect to create a museum with many styles. “In the prime location of the city, space is quite limited, to build a museum that is both creative and meets the needs of visitors when visiting in an artistic space and learning about culture is something that the team has worked hard to research. Along with the short implementation time, this is also one of the difficulties in forming this museum” – Mr. Hung said.

With more than 30 years of collecting and researching antiques, Mr. Do Hung feels that each antique contains many elements of art, history and interesting stories attached. “At this point, I am no longer a collector or an antique connoisseur. I consider myself a person with a mission to preserve and promote by introducing antiques to the public. That’s why I founded the Museum of Jewelry of 54 Vietnamese Ethnic Groups and the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace Museum” – Mr. Do Hung shared about the reason for establishing the museum.

After 6 months of construction with an initial investment of more than 15 billion VND, Mr. Do Hung hopes to raise public awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage and tangible heritage.

Entrance fee is 250,000 VND/person. In the space of the Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace Museum, the organizers have arranged a free check-in photo area with the king’s throne, the queen’s palanquin, and the queen’s carriage. Visitors can wear king and queen costumes to take photos. In addition, in all spaces of the museum, visitors are not restricted from taking photos or filming without affecting the displayed artifacts.