Despite the VND2.3trn (US$101m) investment, the Hanoi Museum is almost deserted due to lack of good exhibits.

Hanoi Museum is almost deserted

There were barely any visitors at the museum except some students in Hanoi and from nearby provinces who want to do research for their assignments.

The first floor is for Vietnamese mascots, the bricks of Dau Pagoda from the 16th and 17th centuries, bronze candlestick and statues of elephants and lions.

The second floor is closed and the third floor is for photo exhibition which titled The Memory of October in Hanoi. On the third floor are photos and several items from the battle of Hanoi in 1946.

There are also a collection of Vietnamese antique items from 16th to 20th centuries, European antique items from 19th to 20 centuries and Bat Trang ceramics. Another corner of the floor is used to display donated items during its opening ceremony.

The top floor is used to display bronze and mother-of-pearl inlay works.

Nguyen Lan Anh, a student at Hanoi University Of Culture, said the number of items was scanty. "Compared to other museums that I've visited, the item arrangement and display here is also very poor and disjointed," she said.

The museum managers admitted that the poor arrangement was why they couldn't attract visitors. NA deputy Duong Trung Quoc said there was a lack of coherence between the content and the goal.

"It needs to focus on building up a good collection of antiques and relics, not how many items have been acquired. The management of Hanoi Museum must be changed to attract more visitors," he said.

The Hanoi Museum covers 50,000 square metres and the main museum, which has the shape of an inverted pyramid, covers 12,000 square metres. It was opened in October 2010 on the occasion of the city’s millennium celebrations.

dtinews