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| Visiting the Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery |
There are several private museums in Hue, such as the Museum of Nguyen Dynasty Commissioned Porcelains, the Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery, the General Nguyen Chi Thanh Museum, and the Cecile Le Pham Fine Arts Museum. Additionally, there are many other cultural and memorial spaces, of which the most notable is Le Ba Dang Memory Space.
A highlight on Hue’s tourism map
Being earliest established among the private museums in Hue is the Museum of Nguyen Dynasty Royal Ceramics, located on Mai Thuc Loan Street, inside Hue Citadel. It is a familiar destination for many visitors passionate about cultural and heritage tourism. In addition to the artifacts permanently displayed by its owner, researcher Tran Dinh Son, the museum regularly organizes thematic exhibitions and displays on the Nguyen Dynasty artifacts, creating a highlight that attracts tourists.
Setting foot here, many visitors cannot help but marvel at the collection of precious artifacts. “Many culture enthusiasts even ask me to take them to this museum. Coming here is like enjoying a miniature yet immensely fascinating journey of discovery. Some visitors spend an entire morning, or even a whole day, just to admire the artifacts displayed in this space,” shared Mr. Nguyen Sy, a tour guide.
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| Mr. Tran Dinh Son, the owner of the Museum of Nguyen Dynasty Royal Ceramics introducing visitors to the antiques on display at the museum. Photo: DT |
Le Ba Dang Memory Space, located on Kim Son Hill (formerly Thuy Bang Ward, now Thuy Xuan Ward), has made a strong impression thanks to its grandeur of scale, professionalism, and well-organized approach, from its display of artifacts and artworks to the integration with the tours. As a result, it has become a favored stop for many visitors, especially international tourists.
Despite being established later, another private museum in Hue has also made its mark on the tourism map is the Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery, located on Nguyen Phuc Nguyen St. (formerly Huong Long Ward, now Kim Long Ward), facing the romantic Huong River. With thousands of artifacts revolving around the story of Hue, the museum has truly impressed those who love the Huong River and Hue’s culture. As a result, it has been included in the itineraries of many travel agencies and tour operators.
Mr. Bui Thanh Phung, manager of the Huong River Museum of Ancient Pottery affirmed that persuading tour operators to bring visitors to the museum is a long journey filled with many challenges. In addition to being discovered by the operators themselves, the museum must also put effort into promoting and connecting with travel companies both domestically and internationally. To achieve that goal, the museum must first have truly good products in hand.
“We use various channels to invite travel companies, tour operators, and international partners to visit the museum before bringing guests here. It’s a long journey, and we have to be meticulous and create a lasting impression,” Mr. Phung said.
In need of a connection between travel agencies and the museums
From the perspective of a tour operator, Ms. Duong Thi Cong Ly (Vice Chairwoman of (Hue Tourism Association and Director of Vietnam Tourism - Hanoi Joint Stock Company – Hue brand) observed that museum tourism has long been a niche market, quite selective in its audience and not easy to tap into. In reality, visitors to Hue tend to prefer experiences such as eco-tourism, community-based tourism, and visiting attractions and historical sites, rather than exploring museums. In particular, although Hue has many museums, including private ones, it is generally tough to attract domestic tourists when designing tours. Only certain foreign visitors, especially Europeans, show significant interest in museum tourism.
“Also, due to the modest tourists’ demand, in reality, the promotion of museum tourism remains limited, and many tourists are still unaware of it. In addition, the connection between tour operators and private museums still has a certain “gap.”
Ms. Ly said that to build and operate tours that include private museums, there needs to be stronger collaboration between travel businesses and the museums. This connection should also be reflected in the storytelling aspect, creating compelling narratives associated with each museum to attract visitors.
Furthermore, it is necessary to create specialized and themed tours, tailored for specific groups, such as artists, architects, or art students, etc., because each group engages with tourism products in different ways. Moreover, there should be research into how museums in other localities can be linked together to form a network or tour route, combining sightseeing with learning and hands-on experiences, especially for students. “For example, pottery in each region has its own formation process, history, materials, and values. Visiting and experiencing different pottery museums provides opportunities to explore their unique characteristics and differences, offering valuable knowledge and information to those interested,” Ms. Ly explained.
Meanwhile, according to the Tourism Planning and Development Department of Hue City Department of Tourism, museums typically attract visitors who enjoy exploring culture and history. In Hue in particular, and in many parts of Vietnam in general, the demand for museum tourism remains limited. This is partly due to the fact that the interest in this tourism type, especially that of domestic tourists, is still low. Additionally, many museums have yet to meet quality standards or offer enough compelling experiences to truly attract visitors.
Tourism in Hue has recently paid attention to this type of tourism, but in reality, due to various reasons, its appeal to tourists remains limited, with mainly some international visitors showing interest. Additionally, Hue has abundant tourism resources, offering visitors a wide range of choices. A notable issue is the lack of strong coordination between travel agencies and museums. Apart from the selective appeal to tourists, the cost structure of tours is also a concern. Currently, some museums still have high ticket prices, while tourists prefer more affordable options. To stay competitive, travel agencies aim to design tours with the lowest possible costs, offering low prices, multiple attractions, and free experiences. This is also why travel agencies hesitate to include private museums in their tour itineraries.
To better tap into this potential, in addition to strengthening the cooperation between travel agencies and museum units, greater effort must be given to promotion and marketing efforts. There should be regular activities to relaunch and promote this type of tourism. Furthermore, it is essential to identify target markets and organize survey trips for out-of-province travel businesses that are interested in museum tourism, encouraging them to include it in their tour itineraries. At the same time, relevant authorities need to implement supportive policies and provide professional and technical consulting to help museums invest more effectively, thereby enhancing the development of museum tourism.