New France-funded project to preserve Vietnamese heritage

A French-Vietnamese cultural cooperation project titled “Sharing and preserving Vietnamese heritage” was announced by the French Embassy on May 9.

The launch of the project “Sharing and preserving Vietnamese heritage” opens a new stage for the effective cultural cooperation between French and Vietnam. Photo: Jenna Duong

The project, funded with 650,000 euros (VND15.8 billion) from the French government, will be implemented in two years between 2022 and 2024.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery said that over the years, France has always emphasized cultural cooperation between the two countries, notably in the fields of museums and heritage preservation.

“The launch of the project opens a new stage for the effective cooperation between French and Vietnam, in line with Vietnam - France joint statement on heritage conservation issued on the occasion of the Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Paris in November 2021,” he said.

Under the project, a series of activities will be carried out, including professional training for Vietnamese museum staff; development of training programs for museum careers in universities; and supporting the design of pilot projects in heritage conservation in the North, Central and South regions of Vietnam.

Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh), Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area (Quang Nam), and a “story box” project for museums in Ho Chi Minh City, among others, are expected to benefit from the project.

A cave in the Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh Province. Photo: kinhtedothi

Sophie Maysonnave, Counselor of the French Embassy in Vietnam, said: “ France, home to nearly 1,300 museums, has accumulated a lot of expertise in this field to attract young people. I hope these valuable experiences will be transmitted to colleagues in Vietnam.”

Previously, in the period 2004-2011, France made many contributions to promoting heritages in Vietnam through the project “Re-evaluating Vietnam’s Museum heritage”.

This is considered a successful project in cultural cooperation between the two countries, with close collaboration between experts from some renowned French museums and Vietnamese partners including the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, and the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Danang City and Dak Lak Museum in Central Highland of Vietnam.

Museums play an important role, helping to make France the world's leading tourist destination and contributing to France’s economic growth. In 2019, France’s travel and tourism industry earned €211 billion.

Vietnam National Museum of Nature is one of the partners of France in the project. Photo: VNMN