MUSEUM OF ETHNOGRAPHY OF VIET NAM

Unquestionably the finest museum in Vietnam. Designed in collaboration with the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, it was inaugurated by President Jacques Chirac at the Francophonie Summit in November 1997. The building was designed by Hà Durc Linh, a Tay architect, and furnished by French architect Véronique Dollfus. Covering an area of 4.5 hectares, the museum presents the traditions of Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups. The museum also includes a research center, various libraries and storage facilities for the various collection items. This magnificent showcase elegantly illustrates the country's rich cultural diversity. Water puppet shows and children's activities are regularly organized here. Visitors should note that all explanatory charts and captions are presented in 3 languages: Vietnamese, French and English. Allow a good half-day to explore this vast museum in its entirety.

The museum is divided into 3 exhibition areas:

The Trong Dong building, known as the "bronze drum". This is undoubtedly the most exciting part of the museum. This two-storey building has a total surface area of 2,500^m2. The second floor houses a permanent exhibition featuring rich ethnographic collections presenting the 54 ethnic groups that make up Vietnam's population: history, habitats, customs, religions, clothing, ornaments, weapons, tools, musical instruments... The many audiovisual documents, photographs and objects on display enable visitors to discover their culture, religious beliefs and social rituals. The exhibition is thematically organized for fun. Two other areas are dedicated to temporary exhibitions, providing a complementary perspective. Also open to the public, the second floor takes a scientific approach to the theme of ethnicity.

The South-East Asia building, known as the "Flying Deer". Inaugurated at the end of 2013, this modern architectural building is dedicated to the diverse cultures of Southeast Asian countries, through themes such as crafts, textiles, arts, beliefs and daily life. It includes a permanent exhibition devoted to Indonesian glass painting, as well as two galleries named "An Asian Glimpse" and "Around the World". The building is also open to other exhibitions devoted to countries around the world. It is also the venue for various events, craft fairs and folk festivals. It's also here that non-exhibited collector's items are safely stored.

The outdoor exhibition area, or architectural garden. Covering an area of 2 hectares, a dozen or so authentic and specific types of architecture have been reassembled by craftsmen from the original villages, using materials and construction techniques strictly in keeping with tradition: the Cham house on low stilts, the Hani house with walls of thick clay blocks, the Yao house half on the ground, half on stilts, the Cotu tomb... Three types of architecture are particularly noteworthy for their spectacular character:

The Banhar communal house

An Austro-Asian-speaking ethnic group, the Banhar live mainly in the province of Kontum. Each village had a communal house, a place for ritual and social activities. The house in the museum is a reconstruction of the village of Kon Rbang's communal house, built in the 1920s and the only one in the highlands to have retained its traditional frame.

The Edê longhouse

An Austronesian-speaking ethnic group, the Edê live mainly in Dac Lac province. Their traditional home was a long house on stilts, housing a large family of matrilineal descent (the daughters' and granddaughters' homes, bearing the same name as their female ancestor). The larger the family, the longer the house. In traditional Edê epics, the length of the house is measured by the "sound of the gong" that spreads from one end of the house to the other. At the beginning of the ^20th century, a long house could measure from 100 to 200 m in length. The one in the museum is 42.5 m long.

The Jörai tomb

The Austronesian-speaking Jörai people live mainly in Gia Lai and Kontum provinces. They follow the custom of a double funeral. The dead are first buried in a single grave. Years later, the family organizes a second funeral(pothi, "abandonment of the grave") to mark the final departure of the deceased for the world of the ancestors and the end of mourning. A tomb, decorated with sculptures, is built. The one in the museum, completed in 1998, reproduces the model of the village of Kep Ping (Gia Lai province). The men, women and animals depicted accompany the deceased into the afterlife. Scenes of a sexual nature are symbols of fertility. Falcons are the chiefs who protect the tomb. The monkey, carried by a dog, is the deputy chief who administers the spirits. The tomb is destined to be abandoned, invaded by vegetation.