Vietnamese Women’s Museum
Description
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum (Vietnamese: Bảo tàng Phụ nữ Việt Nam), founded and administered by the Vietnam Women’s Union, opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1995. The four-story structure is located on Ly Thuong Kiet Street in Hanoi, adjacent to the central Hoan Kiem Lake and the old neighborhood.
Vietnamese Women’s Museum is a gender museum that conducts study, preserves and displays the physical and intangible historical and cultural heritages of Vietnamese women and Vietnam Women’s Union. It is also a hub for cultural interchange between Vietnamese and foreign women, with the objectives of promoting equality, development, and peace. In Hanoi, the public, the media, and international partners all appreciate the VWM. The museum has an established network of intimate media contacts and international partners who are keenly interested in the institution’s operations, collaborative events, and programs.
The Vietnam Women’s Museum provides an aesthetically pleasing homage to the women of Vietnam throughout the years. There are numerous historical settings in addition to a plethora of information about the present Vietnamese woman. The museum is managed by The Women’s Union of Vietnam, one of the country’s most influential movements.
Women of the rice paddy fields, service workers, street vendors, female business leaders, academics, and mothers are all extensively featured within the museum. In addition, there is a wealth of information on topics such as marriage, family life, fashion, and life-altering rituals. Intriguingly, there are also displays highlighting the role women played in the battles of Vietnam.
The exhibits are beautifully arranged in a narrative fashion with English and French signage. Historic evidence, such as Taoist scriptures of the Dao people and wedding cards from the Kinh community, will provide visitors with a comprehensive understanding of Vietnamese women. Photographs and film footage depicting the lives of courageous moms during warfare are compelling displays that should not be missed.
History
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.”
Collections & Exhibitions
The Vietnamese Women’s Museum has around 40,000 antiques and artifacts, a permanent display, periodic special exhibitions, and an immersive audio guide depicting the lives of Vietnamese women in the past, through the war, and in the present day. Since the 1970s, the museum and Vietnam Women’s Union have been collecting these objects. A specialist in public relations, Nguyen Bich Van, was also appointed to travel throughout Vietnam and encourage families to provincial women’s union organizations to give clothing, photographs, and other artifacts relating to female figures in Vietnam. From rice pots to weapons, the museum’s collection of objects represents the triumphs, tragedies, and personal lives of Vietnamese women.
The Exhibition “Women in Family”
This exhibition highlights the “cycle of life” of Vietnamese women. They are mature young women who marry and begin a new life as spouses and mothers. In patrilineal and matrilineal societies, wedding rituals determine the function and status of women within their families. In addition, it provides customs and rituals linked to the desire for children, pregnancy, birth, and care for the new mother and baby, as well as small business, cultivation, fishing and foraging, meal preparation, pottery, sewing and weaving, and childrearing.
The Exhibition “Women in History”
This exhibition analyzes not only the role and participation of Vietnamese women throughout resistance fights against enemy, but also various aspects of their daily lives during the wars. Objects in the show effectively illustrate the stories, contributions, spectacular weaponry feats, and sacrifices of Vietnamese women. Short videos demonstrate how contemporary women assert their individuality with vigor, passion, skill, and spirit based on traditional values.
The Exhibition “Women’s Fashion”
This exhibition features diverse fashion and costume art utilizing the traditional techniques of several of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups. In addition, it introduces the beauty of these ethnic women’s ascetic fashions with the usage of diamonds, betel leaves, and areca nuts, as prescribed by ritual. By presenting a variety of jewelry consisting of hairpin necklaces, earrings, bracelets, silver belts, and woven accessories, one may instantly gain an appreciation for the joy with which Vietnamese women show their femininity and centuries-old family traditions.
Gallery / Photos
Working Hours
- Monday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Tuesday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Wednesday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Thursday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Sunday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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