One of the main tasks of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in 2008 is to prepare for the exhibition on Southeast Asian cultures, including collecting objects and documents in Myanmar, Brunei and Singapore, and preparing the texts for displays and the lighting system.
The museum is currently focusing on collecting photos and videos related to 7 exhibit subjects (textiles, everyday life, social life, handicraft, manuscripts, art performances, and religion of Southeast Asian peoples – except Vietnam). Life and cultural aspects that connect to real objects are also needed. Initially, tens of books and approximately 200 pages of documents and 150 photos have been found through searching in libraries and the Internet.
In 2008, the museum will also organize other exhibitions on Lai Xa village and modern religious culture in Vietnam, activities during the traditional Tet holiday, Mid-autumn festival, and water puppetry performances.
In addition, the museum will continue to implement projects to preserve objects and photos, and preserve and promote heritages in the museum.
The museum has been collecting objects relating to the highway No 9 in the stystem of the East-West economic corridor, which passes through Vietnam‘s central Quang Tri province and Lao‘s Savanakhet province. In Quang Tri province, a delegation from the museum will work with three ethnic minority groups, including Bru-Van Kieu, Ta-oi and Kinh in Da Krong, Huong Hoa and Cam Lo districts. In Savanakhet, they will work with several ethnic villages of Tri, Ma-coong, Ca-tang, Xuoi, Phu Thay and Laos in Se Pon, Muong Phin, Phalaxay and Se No districts. These working trips will research the effects of the Highway No 9 on economic and socio-cultural life to prepare for an exhibition at the museum in 2009. Earlier, four such trips were carried out.
Source: english.vietnamnet.vn (17 Januari 2008)
