The Precious Heritage Museum located in a French architectural building on Phan Boi Chau Street in Hoi An

French cultural imprints

French architecture is considered the initial foundation for Da Nang urban development. Historically, as early as 1888, the French began planning and constructing infrastructure and public offices according to Western European subdivisions and styles.

According to historians, Bach Dang was the first street in Da Nang and another was built parallel to Bach Dang in 1902.

On these two streets, the French built several constructions in Western architecture, such as the Mayor's Office, the Tax Audit Office, the Court, the Post Office, the Customs and Revenue Office, the Central Customs and Administration Office, the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, the Church, and the Hospital.

Cham Museum in 1930

In Hoi An, according to the Hoi An Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation, there are currently many French-style architectural relics in the ancient quarter, mostly in the western part of Nguyen Thai Hoc street and the eastern part of the old town on Phan Boi Chau street.

On Phan Boi Chau street, there are 56 residential relics, including 33 type-2, over 10 type-3, and 12 type-4 relics. Most of them feature French architectural styles.

Also on Phan Boi Chau street, a French photographer named Réhahn established the Precious Heritage Museum to display traditional costumes of Vietnam's ethnic groups and images of Vietnam's natural landscapes. Réhahn chose to place the museum on this street because he saw the French influence and style there.

Cooperation in heritage preservation

Cooperation in heritage preservation is a common goal of both France and Vietnam.

The project on sharing and preserving Vietnam's heritages has contributed to enhancing the heritage values of Vietnam, including Quang Nam.

It started in 2022, funded by the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (FSPI) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The project has implemented three components, all related to the museum sector at Vietnamese heritage sites.

A French-style structure in Hoi An

French experts have supported the development of training programmes in the fields of preservation and enhancement of heritage values in Vietnam.

These programmes include collection preservation, exhibition content development, display space design, content communication, and public reception.

It is expected that the book Museology, a handbook by French museum experts, will be fully translated and published in Vietnam by the end of 2024. The book will be used as a reference for the development of museum-related training programmes in Vietnam.

In addition, three pilot projects are being carried out at three locations in Vietnam, including the renovation of the Visitor Centre at the Cuc Phuong National Park, the first national park in Vietnam; supporting the compilation of display content of the Centre for Environmental Education and Communication of the Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area (Hoi An, Quang Nam); the design and production of an audio communication tool called the "story box" in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since they were implemented in 2022, the projects have shown promising overall results in many aspects.

Besides meeting the objectives to promote professional values and transfer valuable French experiences in the museum sector, the projects have established deep connections between Vietnamese cultural and heritage agencies and with French partners such as Universcience, the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, the Musée des Confluences, and the French National Heritage Institute.

The projects have also contributed to creating a network of museums and enriching collaborative activities with France, laying the groundwork for the opening of additional cooperative projects by 2025.

Translated by Ho Thu