With a modern space and almost all of its operations digitised, the Museum of Da Nang in its new home is taking on a new look to become an attractive venue not to be missed when visiting this coastal central city.

Leaders of the Da Nang Department of Culture and Sports and leaders of the Museum of Da Nang inspect the operating procedures of the museum at its new headquarters. Photo: DOAN HAO LUONG

Innovation in solutions and exhibition content

The Museum of Da Nang has its new home at the upgraded blocks 42 - 44 Bach Dang and 31 Tran Phu, covering on a total area of 8,686m², costing a total investment of VND 504.9 billion. The new project comprises of a newly built museum block (1 basement, 3 upper floors), a synchronous technical infrastructure system, and green landscape.

With a new investment, this highly popular museum is expanding its exhibition scale, ensuring the material conditions to be a place to collect, preserve and promote the cultural and historical values of the city and others in the Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands regions. Thanks to this, it will contribute to education and serve the needs of learning, research, sightseeing, learning and enjoying culture of the majority of people as well as tourists.

Mr. Huynh Dinh Quoc Thien, the Director of Da Nang Museum, said that the museum at the new facility is larger in scale and is expected to be put into operation to serve visitors on March 29, 2025. The display solution, experience and display content have also been innovated but are still based on the themes of the stories of artifacts that the museum has preserved and displayed before.

When moving to the new headquarters, the layout is arranged according to the route, stories related to the history and culture of Da Nang people from prehistoric times to the present are displayed and introduced through each topic.

Specifically, in the reception room, visitors will approach 76 photos with each representing each theme displayed inside the museum. Visitors will then initially approach the content of the story that is in progress and is about to take place in order to explore the entire story of the artifacts on display at the museum.

After finishing exploring the photos, visitors will watch a 3-minute short film introducing the natural beauty of Da Nang to have an overview of the history and natural conditions of this city. Then they will enter the nature exhibition room to learn about natural complexes such as Ba Na, Son Tra and Hai Van Pass, and at the same time, introduce the terrain of rivers, forest ecosystems and vegetation through short documentary films and storms the city has responded to.

Next, visitors will be immersed in a 3D mapping film introducing the marine ecology of Da Nang. This is the first technology application in a museum in the country today, helping visitors immerse themselves in the ocean world. This display solution uses light technology, mapping technology, and virtual world technology to introduce the story of Da Nang's marine ecology and mineral geology through mineral samples.

Bringing visitors into the cultural and historical space

After finishing the natural part, visitors will be introduced to Da Nang in the prehistoric period. In particular, they will learn about the Sa Huynh pre-Champa culture, archaeological sites related to the Sa Huynh culture and the ancient Vietnamese people who were present 3,500 years ago, along with the archaeological site of Khue Bac communal house garden in Hoa Hai, Ngu Hanh Son District.

Next is Da Nang with the mark of the Cham cultural period and the history of Da Nang villages. The most obvious formation of villages was during the period when King Le Thanh Tong had a journey to the South.

Next is an introduction to the bustling trading port of the feudal period with sand tables, travel diaries, and sea routes of Western ships entering the trading port of Da Nang to Hoi An via the Han River and Co Co River. After finishing the section on Da Nang in the feudal period, visitors will be taken to visit the cultural exchange and acculturation during  French colonial period.

“The first historical construction built in Da Nang is the current the Museum of Da Nang. The French built the first administrative center to govern the entire Central Viet Nam and Central Highlands regions, which was the Governor's Palace. After 1975, it was the headquarters of the Da Nang People's Committee and Da Nang City People’s Council, now the Da Nang Museum. This is a historical artifact associated with the ups and downs of the history of revolutionary struggle, the history of public administration and the history of the formation and development of Da Nang as it is today. In particular, Da Nang during the French colonial period (1888-1945) will tell the story of the cultural exchange between Viet Nam and France, which is the formation of Da Nang city, the markets and the culture of sidewalk wholesale”, Mr. Thien shared.

Da Nang in the 1945 - 1975 period will be stories of cultural exchange with elements of American culture introduced into the urban life of Da Nang residents. At the same time, there was the struggle against foreign invaders for national independence, freedom and happiness of the people. Thereby, Da Nang is introduced through two resistance wars against French colonialism and American imperialism. Visitors will be introduced to the patriotic movements in Da Nang starting from the story of Da Nang’s early fight against the French troops.

Da Nang in the two periods of 1945-1954 and 1954-1975 are stories of Da Nang - a heroic city, the triumphant song of the liberation of Da Nang on March 29, 1975.  The Museum of Da Nang applies scientific technology to create special emotions for visitors, not just storing, preserving and arranging artifacts. Visitors enjoy cultural values through technological means.

“For a long time, artifacts have been displayed statically, but now all those images are revived when both static and dynamic. Thus, the museum can meet two tasks: scientific research and scientific education. All museum spaces use 3D mapping technology, 2D, 3D films and image slides to connect the timeline and story through the art of light, audiovisual art, color art associated with historical colour frame space to help visitors recognize the landscape and exhibition space”, Mr. Thien emphasised.

Reporting by DOAN HAO LUONG - Translating by A.THU