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VietNamNet Bridge - What can persuade the public to believe that the VND11 trillion ($550 million) to build the National Museum of History is reasonable and what can ensure that when it is completed, the museum will be more attractive than other museums?
US$524mil museum and the shortage of funds for heritage preservation
Building $500 million museum in Hanoi: Great waste!
The perspective of the National Museum of History.
The proposed cost for the construction of the museum is up to $550 million (not mentioning the expenses for exhibits), while the total investment for Quai Branly, the most modern museum in the center of Paris is Eur230 million ($400 million). In the first year of opening (2006), Quai Branly drew approximately one million visitors. The number of visitors nearly doubled two years later.
The funding for the Egyptian Ancient Civilization Museum (to be opened in 2013) is $550 million. Meanwhile, the News Museum (U.S.A) is cost $450 million. The National Museum of Australia in Canberra, with 4.9 million visitors in 2011, is only cost $155.4 million. The Miami Science Museum, which is to open next year, is invested with $220 million.
We would like to give a few numbers to prove that the Vietnam Museum of History project is not inferior in comparison to international museums. However, the VND11.277 billion (around $550 million) for this ambitious museum project is not the final number because that huge amount of money is for the construction only.
Two years ago, when the Hanoi Museum was inaugurated, many people were shocked because of the huge investment in this work, with more than VND2.2 trillion (over $100 million) for the building. However, this magnificent museum currently has a very small number of exhibits and the visitors are sparse. After one and a half years inaugurated, the Hanoi Museum has welcomed less than 150,000 visitors. The Hanoi Museum is considered to be a painful lesson. The case of Hanoi Museum and the dull situation of many museums in Vietnam is what the public fears for the future of the National Museum of History project.
The wedding ceremony was held at noon on April 8, 2012 at the Hanoi Museum.
Most VietNamNet readers said that when there are many things that must be prioritized; it is unreasonable to build that giant museum. In addition, VND11 trillion is too much and who can ensure that this giant museum is to be attractive or not? There have been many proposals that at this time. Vietnam should focus on improving the current museums rather than building the new one.
10 years ago, when the Quai Baindly Museum was inaugurated, the museum management board designed a detailed plan on the development of the museum in every month, every quarter, every year.
In an interview with VietNamNet, Dr. Vu Manh Ha, deputy director of the National Museum of History, Deputy chief of the content and display form designing board, said that if the Prime Minister approves the project and the project is kicked of this year-end, the construction will be finished in 2016. Then it will take at least another two years to complete the display.
Therefore, like most of the previous museums, the management board of the National Museum of History can only offer the architectural and cost estimation plans. They do not know what will be displayed in the big museum, which will cover over 20.000m2.
Without plans on display, who can ensure that the new museum will not be a big museum without contents like the Hanoi Museum? What ensure that the new museum will attract viewers and do not fall into the similar situation like the Hanoi Museum? The public have the right and the foundation to raise such questions.
There is a national museum which is the desire of many people and is a legitimate request. However, how to make that spectacular museum operate efficiently with value for the huge investment is the most important thing.
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