Many of the documents are dia chi (geography, history and cultural compilations of the provinces) which were inscribed in Han-Nom (Vietnamese hieroglyphic scripts based on its Chinese counterpart) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Other documents chronicle the politics, economy, culture and religion of both the Kinh (Vietnamese) ethnic majority group living in the coastal plain, and minority mountainous tribes.

Family tree books, records of village conventions and royal conferments are also featured.

Included among the exhibit is a book on the customs of Thai group written on treated tree leaves more than 400 years ago.

The documents are permanently stored in libraries in the north-central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.