Decision No. 156/2005/QD-TTg Approves the Master Plan for the Museum System of Vietnam until 2020

Pursuant to …;

Approving the Master Plan for the Museum System of Vietnam until 2020

________________________

PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to the Law on Cultural Heritage dated June 29, 2001;

Pursuant to Decree No. 92/2002/NĐ-CP dated November 11, 2002 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Culture and Information in the report No. 162/TTr-BVHTT dated November 29, 2004,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approves the Master Plan for the Museum System of Vietnam until 2020 with the main contents as follows:

1. Recipients

National museums, specialized museums, provincial and municipal museums, and other museums under the management of the State, economic and social organizations, and private entities throughout the territory of Vietnam.

Clause 2. Objectives

Determining the Administrative Reform Index to monitor and evaluate in a substantive, objective, and fair manner the annual implementation results of administrative reform of ministries, agencies equivalent to ministries (referred to as ministries), and people's committees of provinces and central-supervised cities (referred to as provinces) during the implementation of the Comprehensive Program on Administrative Reform of State Agencies for the 2011-2020 period.

To improve and develop the museum system to serve scientific research needs, education, teaching, dissemination of knowledge about history, culture, science, and cultural enjoyment for the public, contributing to economic and social development.

b) Specific Objectives:

- Strengthening and enhancing the quality and core role of national museums and leading museums; developing specialized museums related to education, science, technology, and traditional trades.

- Reorganizing and improving the provincial and municipal museum system; adjusting and guiding exhibition content according to the historical and cultural characteristics of the locality, creating conditions to enhance the effectiveness of museum activities.

- Reorganizing and improving the museum system under the armed forces. Enhancing capacity and activity effectiveness, integrating into the nationwide museum network.

- Developing private museums and exhibition rooms, implementing socialization of museum activities.

- Reforming the content and form of museum activities, applying scientific and technological achievements in all stages of museum work; building museums into centers of information on science, history, and culture, attracting a large number of domestic and international visitors, contributing to the country's economic and social development.

3. Specific contents of the planning

a) Planning the museum system

- National-level museums:

Refining exhibition content, completing technical infrastructure, and innovating operational methods of existing national-level museums including the Vietnam History Museum, the Vietnam Revolution Museum, the Vietnam Military History Museum, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, the Museum of Cultures of Ethnic Groups in Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, and the Vietnam Ethnology Museum, which are key museums in the Vietnamese museum system, having scale and position worthy of regional and international recognition.

Gradually developing and constructing new national-level museums such as the Vietnam Natural History Museum, the Vietnam National History Museum, and the Halong Bay Ecology Museum, to meet the tasks of preserving cultural heritage, conducting scientific research, and education, serving community interests.

Gradually improving and expanding the scope of operations at the national level for some specialized museums with rare collections of scientific value, exhibiting and introducing them to attract visitors and promote tourism (the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, the Marine Biology Museum, the Vietnam Geology Museum, and the Cham Sculpture Museum...).

- Specialized museums:

Refining exhibition content, completing technical infrastructure, and innovating operational methods of existing specialized museums such as the Vietnam Women's Museum and the People's Public Security Museum; developing specialized museums related to science and technology under ministries, sectors, or universities to strengthen and support scientific research and science education through museum activities.

- Provincial and municipal museums:

+ Strengthening collection work and building complete collections reflecting local cultural characteristics. Each museum must identify and introduce thematic exhibitions that reflect the diverse tangible and intangible cultural landscape of the Vietnamese ethnic communities. Provincial and municipal museums must become cultural activity centers for the community, making significant contributions to the economic and social renewal of their regions.

+ In areas prioritized for tourism development, when conditions permit the establishment of museums in accordance with the Law on Cultural Heritage, in addition to existing provincial and central city museums, specialized museums on traditional crafts and arts can be developed (under different ownership forms).

+ Existing museums in provinces and cities with relatively complete collections on nature, archaeology, ethnography, modern and contemporary history, and art directly related to the locality will be renovated and upgraded in terms of content and artistic solutions to suit the type of provincial and municipal museums. Other provincial and municipal museums currently under construction will develop towards investigation and research, focusing on collecting tangible and intangible cultural heritage, selecting artifacts to build original collections showcasing the distinctive cultural and historical features of the locality.

- Leading museums and branch museums:

+ The Ho Chi Minh Museum and its branches: The Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi is the leading museum in the system of museums and memorials dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh. Branches of the Ho Chi Minh Museum include the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hue, the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Da Nang, the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Phan Thiet, the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Pleiku, the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, and the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Can Tho. These museums need to focus on refining and supplementing exhibition content about President Ho Chi Minh, closely linked to original sites and relevant materials directly related to the locality.

The Vietnam Military History Museum and its branches: The Vietnam Military History Museum is the leading museum in the system of museums under the armed forces, with the mission of coordinating and directing professional guidance for branch museums within the military museum system. Branches of the Vietnam Military History Museum include: Border Defense Museum; 8 museums under Military Zones I, II, III, IV, V, VII, IX, and the Capital Military Zone; 2 museums under Air Defense-Air Force and Navy military corps; Logistics General Museum; Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum; Ammunition and Weapons Museum; 4 museums under Military Corps I, II, III, and IV; 6 museums under Artillery, Engineering, Communications, Armored, Special Forces, and Chemical Corps.

Museums under the armed forces shall be reorganized, upgraded, and innovated in terms of content and exhibition methods, expanding their capacity to serve the needs of the general public; some technical corps museums will transition their exhibition content towards science and technology museum formats when sufficient scientific foundations and material conditions are available.

The National History Museum of Vietnam and its branches: The National History Museum of Vietnam is the leading museum among those marking significant historical turning points of the nation, memorials associated with national heroes and outstanding figures, having a profound impact on the nation's historical process.

The Vietnam Natural History Museum and its branches: The Vietnam Natural History Museum is the leading museum among specialized museums dedicated to natural history and nature conservation areas.

Private museum development orientation: Allow the establishment of several private museums and exhibition rooms with rich and valuable collections; having facilities adequate for preservation, display, and introduction to visitors.

b) Gradually invest in building some centers and laboratories for heritage preservation according to materials in major provinces and cities and at national leading museums.

4. Hierarchical management and investment

- National-level museums are directly managed and invested in by relevant Ministries, sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities. The Ministry of Culture and Information guides and instructs professional operations.

- Specialized museums are directly managed and invested in by relevant Ministries and sectors. The Ministry of Culture and Information guides and instructs professional operations.

- Provincial and centrally-administered city museums are directly managed by provincial and city Departments of Culture and Information, guided and instructed professionally by the Ministry of Culture and Information, and funded through the People's Committee of the province or centrally-administered city via the Department of Culture and Information. Projects for constructing specialized museums on folk culture and traditional handicraft industries are initiated by provincial People's Committees and supported through socialization mechanisms and cultural policies, and guided professionally.

- Private museums are directly invested in and managed by the collection owners, and guided professionally by provincial and centrally-administered city Departments of Culture and Information.

5. Implementation phases of the planning

a) Long-term construction projects from 2005 to 2020:

- New construction projects for national-level museums: The National History Museum of Vietnam, The Vietnam Military History Museum, The Vietnam Natural History Museum, and The Halong Ecology Museum.

- Other projects: Establishing a database of museum objects and historical-cultural relics, digitizing museum activities, collecting objects for mobile exhibitions and educational outreach outside museums, and building preservation centers.

b) Short-term projects:

- From 2005 to 2010: The Vietnam Literature Museum, The Vietnam Aviation Museum, The Vietnam Traditional Medicine Museum, The Vietnam Postal Museum, The Vietnam Traditional Performing Arts Museum, and some museums affiliated with universities.

- From 2010 to 2020: The Oil Industry Museum, The Vietnam Textile Museum, The Vietnam Education Museum, The Vietnam Transportation Museum, The Vietnam Architecture Museum, The Applied Art Museum, The Vietnam Agriculture Museum, The Vietnam Biology Museum, The Vietnam Cement Museum, The Vietnam Coal Museum, The Stamp Museum, The Vietnam Currency Museum, and some museums affiliated with universities.

- Construction projects for new museums in provinces and cities without existing museums (as per approved planning).

- Construction projects for specialized museums on traditional folk culture and handicraft industries at the provincial level.

6. Sources of investment for museum development

a) State budget allocated to the culture and information sector: for basic construction, operational activities, and funds for the National Target Program on Culture.

b) State budget allocated to localities, including funds for cultural and information activities.

c) Revenue from service activities.

d) Borrowings from domestic and foreign organizations.

đ) Contributions from domestic citizens.

e) Contributions from foreign organizations and individuals (grants, aid, gifts).

g) Other lawful revenues (if any).

h) Encourage businesses of all economic components to participate in building specialized museums, and individuals to invest in building museums.

7. Implementation solutions for the planning

a) Continue to develop and perfect legal regulations concerning museums.

b) Improve organizational structure and develop human resources in the museum sector

- Further decentralize management of museum activities between the Ministry of Culture and Information, central ministries and sectors, and People's Committees of provinces and cities. Establish a unified organizational structure for the national museum system regarding museum organization structure, staffing, management mechanisms, leadership, and cooperation.

- Reform and enhance the effectiveness of state administration at all levels, sectors, and localities.

- Vigorously promote training and professional development for museum staff. Build a team of museum professionals with deep expertise and excellent operational skills. Specialize in training. Leverage the role of leading museums as practical training bases. Develop cooperation mechanisms among related ministries and sectors to effectively utilize trained human resources.

c) Mobilize investment capital and establish appropriate financial mechanisms.

- Efficiently invest state funds with focus on key museum projects. Encourage businesses from all economic sectors to participate in building specialized and thematic museums aligned with scientific research and cultural development goals. Increase other sources of funding such as sponsorships, contributions from groups and individuals, and revenue from museum service activities.

- Implement tax exemption and reduction policies for domestic and foreign enterprises contributing to museum construction as stipulated by law. Allow cultural service activities at museums and regulate the use of service activity revenues for museum renovation and upgrading according to the financial regime for self-financing public institutions.

d) Socialize museum operations

- Strengthen socialization efforts to mobilize societal resources for museum construction.

- Establish mechanisms and policies to facilitate community and individual participation in museum activities such as artifact collection, exhibition, and educational outreach. Museums should conduct marketing activities to engage the public in volunteer programs.

- The State shall create incentives and support for the establishment of specialized and thematic museums to maximize the value of national cultural heritage.

đ) Expand international exchanges and provide conditions for Vietnamese museums to join international museum organizations, actively and positively establishing bilateral and multilateral relations with all countries to advance the museum sector.

Article 2. Implementation

1. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall have the following responsibilities:

a) Coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to study and develop mechanisms and policies for the construction and development of the museum system in Vietnam.

b) Promote and guide relevant ministries, provincial-level cities directly under the central government, units, organizations, and individuals to implement approved planning content accurately.

c) Develop and implement training and capacity-building plans to enhance the qualifications of the museum workforce.

2. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, and People's Committees of provincial-level cities directly under the central government, within their assigned functions, tasks, and authorities, shall be responsible for coordinating with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

- Provide information on the implementation of planning tasks and objectives, ensuring consistency and synchronization with their own socio-economic development plans.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect fifteen days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 4. The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of agencies under the Government, and Chairpersons of People's Committees of provincial-level cities directly under the central government are responsible for enforcing this Decision.