Outdoor exhibition

At present, the second phase of outdoor exhibition of Museum of the Cultures of Vietnam’s Ethnic Groups is basically completed with the area of 40,040m2. It accommodates the exhibitions of 6 cultural spaces: Northern mountainous area, Valley, Plain and middle land of the North, Central – coastal area, Trường Sơn Mountain range – Central Highlands and Plain of the South.
The culture of Northern mountainous area is exhibited on an area of 4,000m2, in which there is the prototype of a traditional house of the White Hmông in Mèo Vạc District, Hà Giang Province as a focal point to introduce the cultural life of the dwellers in Northern mountainous area. In accompaniment is the system of landscape around the house including: yard, garden, hedge, gate, plants and trees around the house; milpas in rock holes, milpa planting flax, and terraced field. On the way to Northern mountainous area there is a reproduction of the traditional gate of a Cờ Lao’s house in Sính Lủng commune, Đồng Văn District, Hà Giang Province to make the exhibition animated.

Overall view of a traditional house of the Nùng people in Đồng Văn District, Hà Giang Provinec.

The valley culture is exhibited on an area of 4,400m2 with a traditional stilted house of the Tày in Bắc Sơn, Lạng Sơn Province; and a traditional stilted house of the Nùng. In this place there are objects as in true conditions of ethnic houses: tools for cultivating wet rice field; weaving brocade; making dó paper; tools to make lẩu siêu wine, rice cooked in bamboo tubes, grilled meat and tools for living and transportation such as bed, trunk, baskets, box containing personal utensils, items related to every ritual in a hman being’s life circle, folk musical instruments, items related to the beliefs and religions of people in the valleys.

Overall view of a traditional house of the Tày ethnic group in Bắc Sơn, Lạng Sơn Province.

Land structure includes: landscape in a house garden, palmforest, tea hill, stream, water wheel, rice pounder worked by running water, the figures of Thái and Mường girls carrying water.

The culture of Middle land and plain in the North is exhibited on an area of 3,400m2 with a traditional house of 5 rooms of the Việt people in Tam Đa Commune, Yên Phong District, Bắc Ninh Province. In this place, there is the exhibition of a collection of cultural items inside the house: tools for cultivating wet rice, weaving silk, printing picture, making sedge mat, fine art handicrafts such and gold and silver-wares, mother-of-pearl inlaid, carving, stonewares, tools fro processing fish sauce, processing agricultural products such as pestle, mortar, big jars, items related to living such as bed, box for personal belongings; items related to every ritual in a human being’s life cycle, folk musical intruments, and items related to the beliefs and religions of people in the plain.

Overall exhibition of a five-partitioned traditional house of the Việt people in Bắc Ninh Province.

Landscape include: areca tree, jackfruit, bamboo, betel, dracontomelum; house pond, village gate and village road paved with slanting bricks.

Culture of the Central – coastal area is exhibited on an area of 4,000m2including: Chăm tower; Whale worsipping temple; pottery worshop of the Chăm. In the space of this exhibition there are also tools for producing pottery, pottery products, collection of worshipping tools, tools for living, tools and products of fabric weaving, pottery, personal belongings, items related to living such as bed, box for personal belongings; items related to every ritual in a human being’s life cycle, folk musical intruments, and items related to the beliefs and religions of people in the Central – coastal area, especially Chăm statues and typical items of the Chăm such as Linga and yoni, Chăm dancers.

Landscape includes: cactus, casuarina, other trees and figures of young  Chăm girls carrying water.

Overall exhibition of the Whale-worshipping Temple (Lăng Ngư Ông)

In the space for the culture of Trường Sơn Mountain range – Central Highlands of 4,000m2 there are a Rông House of the Ba Na; lunar New Year Festival pole, lithophone (stone musical instrument), wind instrument, water instrument…There are also items such as: production tools, ethnic costume, collection of living tools such as jars, gongs, tools and products of fabric weaving, personal belongings, items related to every ritual in a human being’s life cycle, folk musical intruments, and items related to the beliefs and religions of people in the Trường Sơn Mountain range – Central Highlands, funeral house and its statues.

Landscape includes: Pơ lang tree, Kơ nia tree, stretches of land and waterfall to run lithophone, water instrument, statues of elephant and its cub.

Exhibition of a traditional Rông House of the Ba Na ethnic minority in Central Highlands

The culture of the South plain is exhibited on an area of 4,000m2, introducing the model and landscape around the sanctum of Phướng Pagoda in Trà Vinh Province, including the structure of pagoda, tower containing the bones of the Khmer in Diệp Thạch Pagoda, Trà Vinh Province, the gate of Chăm Ka Pagoda in Trà Vinh; Cultural space in the form of garden in the South in Kế Sách District, Sóc Trăng Province; system of canals with a foot bridge in Long Phú District, Sóc Trăng Province.

Overall exhibition of the sanctum of the Phương Pagoda of the Khmer people in Trà Vinh Province.

Apart from the cultural areas, the project has a reserved yard for festivals where there is a symbol of Vietnamese culture with the image of the community of 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam hand in hand as a block on the shape of a lotus, a symbolic image of a universe flame and the solidarity of all ethnic groups. It is expected that on the festival yard, cultural events or other rituals would be often held.

The space for outdoor exhibition is expected to be completed in May 2010. Each space would be an environment for visitors to experience, entertain and study the treasure of Vietnamese traditional culture.

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