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| UNESCO World Heritage Center Director Lazare Eloundou visited the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities in late May 2025 |
Preservation amid constraints
The Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities is home to more than 11,000 artifacts from the Nguyen Dynasty, including 38 national treasures. These include imperial thrones, court attire, royal seals, and personal imperial items - vivid testaments to the Nguyen Dynasty’s legacy that spanned over three centuries.
Further, nearly 9,000 artifacts are kept in the museum’s managed inventory. In contrast, more than 2,700 others are dispersed across over 10 heritage sites, including the royal tombs of Emperors Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, and Tu Duc, An Dinh Palace, Hue Nam Temple, and numerous structures within the Imperial City.
“We envision each heritage site not merely as a destination, but as a storytelling space - where artifacts speak and history comes alive for visitors,” said Mr. Ngo Van Minh, Director of the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, in reference to exhibition spaces.
However, the journey of preserving these precious artifacts is far from easy, especially under Hue’s harsh tropical climate and with the museum’s limited infrastructure. Each item must be categorized by material - wood, bronze, porcelain, textile - and maintained under tailored conservation conditions. Storage rooms are kept under round-the-clock climate control. For textiles, due to their extreme fragility, original pieces are rarely exhibited; only replicas are shown instead.
Safeguarding the artifacts demands the utmost caution. In addition to an on-site police force tasked with protecting the premises, the vaults are tightly secured with surveillance cameras, double-door entry, and a strict access protocol requiring the simultaneous presence of both security personnel and museum staff. “Despite improvements,” Mr. Minh noted, “compared to international museums - where they can build underground, earthquake-resistant vaults and deploy cutting-edge security technologies - our conditions remain modest.”
Alongside physical conservation, the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities is also shifting toward artifact digitization. Ten objects are currently showcased in virtual displays. A pilot project is underway to digitize nearly 100 more, covering themes such as royal cuisine, the Nine Dynastic Urns, imperial garments, and court rituals.
One major bottleneck lies in the museum’s current exhibition space. While Long An Palace holds undeniable architectural and historical value, it is far too cramped and ill-suited for the functions of a modern museum. “If the museum is to truly fulfill its potential,” emphasized Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, “a new space - larger and more integrated - is essential.”
Envisioning a museum at the heart of heritage
In light of current constraints, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center is forging ahead with a plan to build a new Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities — a modern institution that integrates conservation, education, and experience. The museum will not simply be a venue for “displaying antiquities,” but a space to “ tell history vividly.” Artifacts such as the ceremonial robe for the Heaven-worshipping rite, Nguyen Dynasty seals, Emperor Duy Tan’s throne, and Minh Mang-era bas-reliefs will no longer sit passively behind glass. Instead, they’ll be brought to life through technology, lighting, imagery, and emotion. “We aim to create a space for learning and discovery for younger generations, where heritage doesn’t just stay in textbooks, but becomes part of everyday life,” said Mr. Hoang Viet Trung.
The new museum is slated for development in the area linking Long An Palace, the Te Tuu Residence (Hall of the Chief Ritual Scholar), Quoc Tu Giam (Imperial Academy), and the Cham Antiquities Gallery. Its design will include permanent and thematic galleries, open-air exhibits, restoration and conservation workshops, educational and creative spaces, as well as a suite of cultural and recreational services for the public.
This orientation aligns with the Prime Minister’s directive in Notice No. 137/TB-VPCP, emphasizing that the exhibition space must capture the distinctiveness of Nguyen Dynasty court life - through collections of artifacts, presentation and interactive technologies, synchronized modern equipment, and a spatial design that encourages exploration and engagement.
Hue aspires to build a “soft” museum - a space that goes beyond merely exhibiting artifacts to also spread knowledge, inspiration, and national pride. Dr. Reigh Young Bum, Director of the Korean Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies, once proposed that the future Hue Historical Museum Complex should integrate broader social and educational values, rather than being limited to traditional displays.
The city is also preparing to launch a restoration project for the Quoc Tu Giam (Imperial Academy), once the Nguyen Dynasty’s first “university.” Upon completion, it will serve as a thematic exhibition center on imperial education and scholarly culture under the Nguyen court. The site is poised to become a key link in the future ecosystem of Hue’s heritage museums.
At Long An Palace inside the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, we met Nguyen Tuan Dung, a visitor from Ho Chi Minh City, who was carefully examining each artifact on display. “I’ve visited several museums in Europe, and their storytelling is excellent,” he remarked. “Just by looking at a coat or a sword, you can immediately grasp the historical period, the character, and the meaning behind it. Here, the antiques are truly valuable, but the presentation lacks appeal. I hope Hue will one day have a more modern museum—one that preserves its soul while being more accessible to younger generations.”
Hopefully, Hue will soon boast a museum worthy of its stature - not only preserving the memory of the Nguyen Dynasty, but also serving as a vibrant, modern cultural hub in the heart of the heritage, furthering the global reach of Vietnamese cultural values.