Vietnamese Women’s Museum

The Vietnamese Women’s Museum was officially created on January 10, 1987, per the directives of the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. This was part of the government’s initiative to acknowledge women’s contributions to the nation’s historical and cultural development and to encourage female empowerment. In 1985, Nguyen Thi Dinh, who was acting as president of the Vietnam Women’s Union, launched plans to create the museum. Throughout the Second Indochina War, Nguyen was a well-known leader of the National Liberation Front. Nguyen wished for the museum to be “distinct from any other museum in Vietnam and to serve as a hub for research and activities pertaining to women; a location where women could feel at ease and enjoy themselves.” Although authorisation for the museum’s development was given in 1985, resource difficulties slowed the construction process.

Construction commenced in 1991 with assistance from the Vietnam Women’s Union and Ministry of Culture. The architect who created the museum was Tran Xuan Diem. It was inaugurated on October 20, 1995. From 2006 to 2010, the museum was closed for reconstruction and refurbishing with funding from the Vietnamese government, Vietnam Women’s Union, and the Ford Foundation. The museum reopened to the public in 2010 with updated design and amenities, as well as a new permanent exhibition. Additionally, the museum developed from a cultural and historical museum to one that focuses on gender. The Vietnam Women’s Union finances and operates the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, which functions as an entity within the organization. It reflects the union’s policies and political objectives.

Beginning in 2009, a café has rented 80m2 of the museum’s site in front of Museum, Ly Thuong Kiet street. The contract was signed by Nguyen Thi Tuyet, the director of the museum at the time, and Dao Boi Huong, a representative of Van Viet Company, on July 15, 2009. However, after nearly two years of implementing this joint venture agreement, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women’s Union issued a decision authorizing the Vietnam Women’s Museum to engage in service activities corresponding to its area of specialization.

The current director of the museum, Nguyen Thi Bich Van, told reporters, “All of our activities are governed by the Cultural Heritage Law and Circular 18/2010 / TT BVHTTDL of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which prescribes the organization, functions, and duties of the Museum, and the revenue is guaranteed to be paid in full to the state budget in accordance with the regulations.”