The Vietnam Military History Museum has recently gained popularity due to its spacious, modernly designed premises and free admission. 

"Young people are drawn to experiential activities. Therefore, it would be better to set up an area for experiences, where visitors can assemble infantry rifles, pack explosives to destroy bunkers, shoot AK rifles with blanks (with sound effects), pack gear for river crossings, or experience a Hoang Cam stove fire,” Ngoc, 20, a visitor, told VietNamNet.

Hoang Cam stove was a stove intake and chimney system that dissipated smoke from cooking which prevented aerial detection of smoke. “Many military skills can be taught to youth, serving as both an experience and military defense education while generating revenue to maintain museum operations. This is the key to attracting more young visitors," Ngoc said.

Destination for tourists

Lam Ngo Hoang Anh, deputy director of the War Remnants Museum, said the museum's staff and facilities face significant pressure due to high number of visitors.

"With nearly 70 staff members, we serve 5,000 visitors daily, or sometimes up to 7,000, without breaks on weekends or holidays, so, the pressure is immense. The War Remnants Museum, operational since late 2010, was designed to handle 500 visitors per day. Now, the number exceeds ten times that. Our staff, especially foreign-language guides, cannot fully meet the demand," Anh said.

He acknowledged that digital communication is a global trend, and the museum cannot ignore it. However, its promotional and tourism efforts remain limited and have not fully embraced modern communication trends.

Currently, the museum is training and upskilling staff, particularly guides proficient in foreign languages, to meet rising visitor expectations. Since late 2024, museum leaders and technicians have been developing a 3D online museum project, which is now largely complete.

Hoang Anh invited VietNamNet reporters to experience the 3D museum interactively. The experience, guided by bilingual narrators, is based on a pre-designed program.

"Some people think that online museums would make visitors no longer need to go to museums. But we don’t think so. Online interaction sparks curiosity and increases the desire to visit in person. Building an online museum won’t reduce visitors, but it will draw more people to the museum," Anh said.

The War Remnants Museum's online version is set to launch soon and the technology will be upgraded step by step as planned. The museum also plans to invest in upgrading facilities and modernizing the display system to help visitors have a better experience.

Anh said the museum will take a cautious approach if it receives invitations for cooperation to develop cultural projects,

"We are welcoming individuals and organizations, but we must be sure that the museum's image is portrayed accurately and aligns with its intended significance," he said.

Anh said the War Remnants Museum operates as a Group 2 public service unit under Decree 60/2021/ND-CP on financial autonomy. Its revenue comes from ticket sales, VND40,000 VND as regulated.

"The revenue is modest, which is just high enough to sustain operations, serve visitors, organize exhibitions, and pay staff. You can see that the canteen only sells bottled water, and the souvenir shop offers items meeting visitor needs. The museum has no other investment plans. With current visitor numbers, we prioritize our political mission over profit," Anh said.

Collaboration with influencers

Last year, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum held an event to honor those who actively engaged with its Facebook Fanpage and created the most popular TikTok videos about the museum.

Nguyen Anh Minh, director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, said that just a few years ago, the museum struggled with low visitor numbers. It is a national museum housing nine nationally designated treasures and over 20,000 valuable artworks and artifacts, but it was largely unknown to the public for a long time.

The museum's recent transformation owes much to its supporters. Through posts, shares, and videos reaching hundreds of thousand or millions, young content creators on social media platforms have become ambassadors, extending the museum's reach to the public.

Tinh Le - Gia Bao