New vitality in Nghe An museums

Heritage in digital space

In the digital experience exhibition space with the theme "Nghe An - Land and People" nearly 200m wide²At Nghe An Museum, Nguyen Huu Trung - a third-year student from the Faculty of Tourism and Social Work (Vinh University) was very excited when he could search for complete information about the artifacts by just touching the screen. "Technology helps me feel the magic of artifacts that are thousands of years old. With just a touch of a finger, information and even the smallest carvings are clearly displayed, which before when coming to the Museum, I could only see through glass cabinets," Trung shared.

Not only touching the screen, at this digital experience exhibition space, visitors to Nghe An Museum can also experience virtual reality (VR) technology. With this technology, viewers use VR glasses worn on their eyes and interact with the virtual environment through positioning and motion control devices, creating a feeling of realism and vividness.

In addition, there is also a digital experience exhibition space about Tham Om Cave - a typical archaeological site of the late Paleolithic period in Nghe An, dating back about 200,000 years ago. With 3D Mapping technology, the presentation of content through 3D effects forms interactive image blocks in a 3-dimensional space instead of just 2-dimensional as traditional.

It is known that the digital experiential exhibition space "Nghe An - Land and People" inaugurated in March 2024 is considered an important milestone of Nghe An Museum to meet the development practice and the increasing demand for enjoying historical and cultural values ​​of the general public.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Cuong - Director of Nghe An Museum, currently, applying digital technology in displaying and introducing exhibitions is an inevitable trend of modern museums. Although these are just the initial steps, through the combination of technological applications that the Museum is implementing in the exhibition space "Nghe An - Land and People", the "stories" inside the artifacts have become more vivid than ever.

Immersing yourself in a space that is both strange and familiar, admiring the artifacts in every detail, blending into the space where the modern and the ancient intersect, will bring the public new emotions. The combination of museum and technology also arouses the interest and stimulates the exploration of the young generation; is a bridge to bridge the gap and encourage young people to actively participate in activities related to history.

Fun experience combined with education

In early December 2024, the experiential activity "Printing documents" organized by the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum in collaboration with Vinh Tan Secondary School (Vinh City) left a deep impression on the 9th grade students participating in this program. In the program, students not only learned and observed vivid documents and artifacts related to the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement (1930 - 1931), but also participated in the knowledge-learning game "Secret crossword" and directly experienced how to print documents such as leaflets more than 90 years ago.

Nguyen Thao My, a 9C student at Vinh Tan Secondary School, shared: “By participating in this activity, I learned more about the methods of propaganda and printing documents of our predecessors in the past. Since then, I have been very proud to have been born and raised in the heroic Soviet land.”

Previously, at the end of November 2024, the experience program "Echoes of the homeland's heritage" organized by the Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum in collaboration with Le Mao Secondary School (Vinh City) also attracted hundreds of students to participate. At the program, students were able to see with their own eyes more than 30 musical instruments out of a total of more than 100 musical instruments by Artisan Nguyen Thanh Phuc from Thanh Chuong town (Thanh Chuong district); were introduced to the methods of making, using, functions and spaces for using different musical instruments of each ethnic group such as the monochord, stone T'rung, trumpets, flutes, etc. In particular, musical instruments such as drums, gongs, horns, etc. that played the role of commanding forces, or encouraging the fighting spirit of the masses in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement were also introduced through lively performances.

Ms. Tran Thi Hong Nhung - Deputy Director of Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum said: “In recent years, along with on-site exhibitions, thematic exhibitions, mobile exhibitions, experiential activities organized by the Museum in coordination with schools in the province are one of the important highlights in the regular activities of Nghe Tinh Soviet Museum. In 2024, the Museum successfully organized special experiential programs such as: "Spring Flowers", "Preserving the Soul of the Homeland's Conical Hats", "Following the Party's Footprints", "Lotus", "Incense Stick of Gratitude", "Printing Documents", "Echoes of Homeland Heritage" ... with the participation of thousands of students from schools, agencies, and organizations in the province.

In recent years, Nghe An Museum has also organized many programs to experience printing Dong Ho folk paintings, making pottery, making specimens of artifacts, making incense, making moon cakes, and painting about Mid-Autumn Festival. In particular, the Museum has coordinated with the Provincial Traditional Arts Center to organize performances of Vi and Giam folk songs at the experience programs.

Excitedly participating in the experience of printing Dong Ho folk paintings with her children, Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Thu in Ha Huy Tap ward (Vinh city) expressed: "Having participated in many experiential activities at Nghe An Museum with my children, I feel very happy to be able to immerse myself in fun and exciting activities as well as explore and learn more about ethnic culture."

According to Mr. Ho Manh Ha - Deputy Head of Heritage Management Department (Department of Culture and Sports), with 60 - 70% of visitors being students, museums are places for them to learn basic knowledge about history, culture, and national heritage. However, in order for them to feel, understand, and keep a good impression of heritage, it is necessary to diversify educational and experiential activities. This transformation not only helps museums maintain connections in modern social life but also opens up new opportunities for education and inspiration for the younger generation. Accordingly, museums are not only places to "see" but also to "experience" and "interact" and there, each individual can find a part of themselves in the flow of history and culture.

“The two words “museum” need to be understood in many new meanings, not only as a place to preserve the past, but also as a place for the public to come to experience, learn new knowledge and have relaxing moments,” Mr. Ha shared.

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In recent years, after the Covid-19 pandemic, museums in Nghe An province have focused on improving the quality of their operations; there are many methods of operation, attracting more and more domestic and international visitors. To achieve that result, museums have made many efforts and innovated their activities to adapt to social changes and the need to enjoy community culture. In addition to experiential activities, museums in Nghe An also focus on improving display methods. The space of the exhibition rooms has been renovated and upgraded creatively, with a harmonious combination of lighting systems, color blocks, decorative motifs suitable for the content and theme of the exhibition, and especially the application of digital technology to the exhibition activities. Local history communication and education activities combined with the promotion of relics are organized at museums in many rich and attractive forms.

In the coming time, museums need to step up coordination with travel companies to have unique products, attracting a variety of tourists besides students.

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh - Deputy Director of Department of Culture and Sports

It can be affirmed that with the combination of modern technology and traditional heritage values, with the diversification of experiential activities, museums in Nghe An are taking on a new look. Not only a place to display artifacts, museums have become a lively space for interaction and community connection. This innovation not only helps preserve cultural heritage but also opens up opportunities to inspire the younger generation, contributing to building the image of a dynamic and unique Nghe An.