Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Museum has received 1,017 documents and items donated by 37individuals and organisations for its permanent display, raising its totallisted exhibits to just short of its targeted figure.

All the documents and items,handed over to the museum on September 12, hold significant cultural value,reflecting the development of Hanoi through various historical periods.

Most of them arerelated to the daily lives and beliefs of Hanoi’s locals in the early 20th century,along with those collected in wartime and the subsidy period, gathered in tradevillages and trade streets of Thang Long-Hanoi.

Nguyen Thi Sinh, 75, alocal of Ha Dong district and one of the museum’s donors, said that she gavethe museum a hundred-year-old copper betel tray which was handed down to herfrom older generations.

As traditional bronzecasting craft of Hanoi has disappeared, she decided to donate her preciousheirlooms so that younger generations can learn about the trade. Additionally, shealso gave the museum a number of cooking pots and pans that had been made fromrecycled airplane parts after the war.

In the ancient BatTrang pottery village in Gia Lam district, five individuals and organisationsdonated 107 items to the museum.

Artisan Le Van Thu’sfamily offered 17 pieces of pottery production equipment to the museum.Meanwhile, the management board of the Bat Trang pottery village presented theexhibit with 63 items, photographer Lam Truc Quynh donated 20 documentaryphotos, Phung Thi Ninh’s family gave three items, and the family of Nguyen VanManh offered three ancient bricks.

Ha Van Lam, head ofthe management board of the Bat Trang village, has been a key driver inencouraging locals to donate items to the Hanoi Museum. He believes that supportingthe museum in completing its exhibited lists on Bat Trang village must be ashared task between all locals in the village.

Elsewhere, the VanPhuc silk village had three donors who gave the museum items related totraditional silk-making crafts.

The family of lateartisan Nguyen Huu Chinh also gave the museum three women’s shirts made of LongVan silk, while President of the Van Phuc Trade Village Association Pham KhacHa donated one item and Nguyen Xuan De offered three items.

At the event, themuseum also received precious items from the management board of the Duong Lamancient village relic site.

Addressing theceremony, Nguyen Tien Da, Director of the Hanoi Museum, thanked all the donors,noting that the items have been a good fit for the museum’s plans for 2019.

Representatives of theHanoi Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism honoured donors withcertificates of merit in recognition of their efforts in maintaining heritageas well as contributing to the museum’s development. The department also calledon individuals and organisations to continue donating exhibits to the museum.

The Hanoi Museum inthe capital city of Vietnam was voted onto a list of the world’s most beautifulmuseums by the US’ Business Insider newspaper.

Located on Pham HungStreet, the museum’s architecture is particularly entrancing, taking on theform of an upside down pyramid with a spiral staircase inside that bringsvisitors to each exhibition section.      

The building wasopened in 2010 to mark the Millennial Anniversary of Hanoi.   

On display are over50,000 artifacts from Hanoi’s thousand-year history and the nation’s history,culture, heritage, and architecture. –VNA