Visit Quang Ninh Museum in Ha Long, which serves to exhibit and introduce cultural heritage as well as material evidence of the history of Quang Ninh and Vietnam.
Ha Long Tourism – Check in right away at the unique Quang Ninh Museum by the bay
Traveling to Ha Long will certainly feature many famous spots that attract tourists, especially Ha Long Bay – a World Natural Heritage site. However, in Ha Long, there is also a very interesting attraction, distinct from all the others, which is Quang Ninh Museum.
Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
Photo: @raunhot
Quang Ninh Museum carries out many important tasks, performing the functions of collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting, and introducing cultural heritage, as well as material evidence of the history, culture, nature, and people of Quang Ninh in particular and Vietnam in general.
This is also the leading public museum of Quang Ninh Province and a public non-business unit under the Department of Culture and Sports of Quang Ninh Province. In addition, Quang Ninh Museum is also tasked with guiding and organizing activities to protect and promote the value of cultural heritage across the province.
Quang Ninh Museum viewed from above
Photo: thao.dang.900
Quang Ninh Museum was actually established in 1960 at 5B Cau Cao, Hon Gai Town. However, the building was completely destroyed during the two air wars of destruction against North Vietnam by the US Air Force. In 1990, the People's Committee of Quang Ninh Province decided to relocate the museum to its current address at 165 Nguyen Van Cu Street, Ha Long City.
The current building of Quang Ninh Museum is a modern architectural work, designed as a large cube completely encased in black tempered glass on the outside. The museum belongs to a complex of three building blocks connected to each other by an elevated corridor.
The corridor connecting the building blocks. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
The other two blocks are the Library and the Exhibition & Conference Building. Each block consists of three upper floors and a ground floor. The main entrance is on the 1st floor via a long staircase leading up from the street. This staircase is also a favorite photo spot for young people, offering numerous stunning angles.
1st Floor
As soon as you enter the lobby area, you will be overwhelmed by the interior space, and hanging right from the ceiling is the enormous skeleton of an unfortunate whale that washed ashore on Can Dao Island. Below is a model of a Tra Co raft, a type of bat-wing sailboat characteristic of the Gulf of Tonkin.
The whale skeleton hanging in the lobby. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
The 1st floor area is an exhibition space dedicated to the natural conditions and natural resources of Quang Ninh, such as minerals, geology, and biology. You will feel as if lost in a miniature Ha Long Bay within the sea and nature exhibition space, presented with video footage revealing the secrets of the ocean and nature.
Each room on the 1st floor displays different biological species. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
2nd Floor
On the 2nd floor, you will travel back into Quang Ninh's past through various eras, from prehistoric times through the anti-American resistance war. The 2nd floor area is divided into two rooms corresponding to two periods.
The period from prehistoric times to the end of the Dai Viet era is displayed in a room designed to make you feel as though you are inside a giant boat cabin, completely paneled in wood.
You will feel as if you are inside a wooden ship cabin. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
For the period during the destructive war by the U.S. Air Force, the room is designed to make you feel as if you are in an airplane cabin. You can view surviving artifacts from this historical period.
Space simulating an airplane cabin. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
3rd Floor
The 3rd floor area consists of three main exhibition spaces highlighting the hallmarks of Quang Ninh Province: the history of the coal industry, the culture of ethnic groups in Quang Ninh Province, and Uncle Ho with the people of Quang Ninh Province.
Diorama recreating a mine tunnel. Photo: @ng.ngoc.hanh
In the coal industry history area, you will explore a lifelike simulation of the underground coal mining process alongside a diorama showcasing modern open-pit coal mining technology, while also getting a sense of the hardship endured by miners under French colonial rule. Here, you will see a clear contrast between coal mining past and present.
Open-pit coal mining model. Photo: @_thnhm.ai_
In the cultural space of Quang Ninh's ethnic groups, the museum features 6 prominent representatives among the province's 21 ethnic groups to showcase their distinctive cultural features.
Recreating ethnic cultural features. Photo: @_dieplinh_1379
Photo: @_thnhm.ai_
Currently, Quang Ninh Museum houses a total of more than 30,000 artifacts, including 5 collections of characteristic provincial artifacts with scientific dossiers and 12 artifacts recognized as national treasures. The national treasures are preserved separately in a dedicated display room. Some of the national treasures on display include the Dau Ram Ceramic Jar, the Ngoa Van – Yen Tu Golden Box, the Quang Ninh Bronze Drum, the Tran Dynasty Bronze Vat, the Polychrome Glazed Ceramic Footed Platter, and the An Sinh Brown-Patterned Ceramic Vat.
Visiting Quang Ninh Museum in particular and museums in general offers the best opportunity to thoroughly learn about the history, culture, geography, people, and many other fascinating aspects of a region. If possible, always try to take the time to visit local museums wherever you travel.
