Tour the Vietnam Literature Museum: A Journey through Literary History

The Vietnam Literature Museum, which opened to visitors on June 26, 2015, is a three-story museum covering an area of 3,000 square meters and built at a cost of almost VND 50 billion. It preserves many memories of famous writers and poets, making it a destination where visitors can learn more about the history of literature and the lives of influential writers.

Students learn about the literary history of Vietnam. Photo: vietnamnet

The first floor of the museum displays and introduces “Vietnamese literature in the Ancient – Middle Ages” from the 11th century to the end of the 19th century. It features a symbolic pen-shaped stone from the Hung Temple with meaningful words from the great poet Nguyen Du. The exhibition showcases artifacts of Vietnamese literature and the history of written characters on mediums such as paper, cloth, metal, and leaves.

The second floor is dedicated to introducing figures of Vietnamese literary groups from the early 20th century, such as Phan Boi Chau, Tan Da, and Ho Chi Minh, as well as winners of the Ho Chi Minh Prize for literacy.

The space inside the museum. Photo: Ngoc Thang

The third floor of the museum honors the activities of the Vietnam Writers Association. The exhibition area titled “Cooperation and Exchange with International Literature” includes photos, artifacts, Vietnamese literary works translated into foreign languages, and works of international writers who are friends of Vietnam.

The Vietnam Literature Museum functions to collect, restore, research, exhibit, introduce cultural heritages, and reflect on the process of development of Vietnamese literature. In addition to displaying draft outlines, utensils, photos, recorded voices, and statues of the writers, the museum provides modern computer software for visitors to access more information.

Photo: Nguoihanoi

Poet Huu Thinh, chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association and director of the museum, said, “The museum is a place to recognize the efforts of great writers in writing their works and their creative ways. During the 10 years when the museum was being constructed, we received untold contributions of objects and materials on great writers.”

The initiative to build the museum was made in 1995, but construction did not begin until 2004 due to various reasons, according to Nguyen Thanh Minh, deputy director of the museum.

With its unique cultural space, the Vietnam Literature Museum is not only an attractive destination for literature lovers but also an ideal tourist destination in Vietnam.

The museum seen from above. Photo courtesy of the museum

Thu Hoai, a visitor from Hanoi, shared her experience, “I have an immense passion for Vietnamese literature, which is why I came here today with my best friend to explore and learn more about the famous works of writers throughout history. I was deeply impressed, and I think the museum is a great source of knowledge for people who love the culture and literature of Vietnam.”

To bring literary beauty to the public with a new approach, the Vietnam Literature Museum has launched the Literature Night Tour, which takes place every Saturday and Sunday night. This tour allows visitors to experience the uniqueness of Vietnamese literature from ancient and medieval periods to the present.

It’s an interesting place for literature lovers and tourists. Photo: Vietnamnet

Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, highly appreciates the tour as Hanoi always focuses on developing tourism products with cultural and educational values. “Hopefully, the new tourism product of the Literature Museum will help shape Hanoi’s tourism. In the coming time, this tour is expected to be more lively and attractive with the efforts of the museum staff,” he said.

Charlotte Pho

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