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12/04/2023
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The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum is located in a poetic ancient French colonial house (Source: Collected)
Located in Hoi An, the Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum has become a new destination in the heritage city in recent years, offering tourists a chance to explore Vietnamese ethnicities in a nostalgic space. What’s even more special is that the museum tells visitors about the owner’s personal experiences when he adventures throughout Vietnam to create his collection.
1. The origin of Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, Hoi An
- Address: 26 Phan Boi Chau Street, Hoi An City
- Opening hours: from 8 am to 8 pm every day
The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum in Hoi An Ancient Town was established on January 1st 2017 as a place to introduce and celebrate the diversity of Vietnamese ethnic groups through striking photos, traditional costumes and stories about how these exhibits were collected and brought to the museum. The museum is the culmination of French photographer Réhahn’s Precious Heritage project carried out for more than a decade.
French photographer Réhahn (Source: James Pham)
Réhahn was inspired to embark on the project after his trip to northern Vietnam in 2011. He met with several local ethnicities and learnt that there were totally 54 of them across the country. These communities had their own languages, traditional costumes, handicrafts, architecture and religious beliefs. Unfortunately, these characteristics were gradually falling into oblivion as young generations left their home villages.
Seeing that has urged Réhahn to capture portraits of these ethnic people in their own costumes and preserve them in the Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, which was invested by his own money and is open free for the public. By September 2019, Réhahn finished his project of meeting, discovering and researching all 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups and completed his collections with fascinating pieces of artwork in the museum.
2. The prominent features of Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
A corner inside the museum (Source: Collected)
The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum was originally an ancient 2-storey house built in French colonial style over a total area of 500 square meters. On the first floor, 200 impressive photos are displayed, appreciating the beauty of humans, with the majority being portraits of ethnic women and children. Besides, a collection of 35 ethnic costumes, traditional objects and related stories from all parts of Vietnam is also featured in the museum.
According to Réhahn, the hectic pace of modern life is eroding traditional values, making his journeys to find the costumes and capture the photos more difficult. That was why it took him more than 10 years to complete his project, during which he traveled to the furthest reaches of Vietnam to talk and live with ethnic tribes and discover their fascinating culture. The journey brought him through various adventurous, challenging and unforgettable experiences.
Stories of ethnic tribes retold by Réhahn through his collection (Source: Collected)
One of his most memorable trips was the one to Le Village, Mo Rai Commune, Sa Thay District, Kon Tum Province where the Ro Mam people reside. It took him 3 years to be able to get access to them. Ro Mam was among the 3 ethnic groups with the smallest number of members in Vietnam, just about 400 of them. Only 12 traditional Ro Mam costumes were left in the village, so they all refused to sell. Later, Réhahn had to talk with the villager patriarch about his project. The patriarch was amazed at Réhahn’s intention, and so he decided to give him one of the 12 precious costumes. Inside the Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, Réhahn retold many such interesting stories in Vietnamese, English and French languages in addition to striking photos and exhibits.
>>> Read more: Hoi An things to do: Make your journey full of excitement
3. Explore outstanding areas of Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum
The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum is divided into 4 sections with different themes of exhibition. This arrangement somehow reflects Réhahn’s adventures.
3.1. The Fine Art Room
As the first stop in the museum, the Fine Art Room houses all of Réhahn’s most iconic and bestselling photographs. These photos are related to special moments and milestones in Réhahn’s photography career and help visitors visualize the path he has taken to become the talented artist he is today.
3.2. The Indigo Room
The Indigo Room with characteristic wall paint (Source: rehahnphotographer.com)
The Indigo Room was the latest addition to the museum. True to its name, this room takes visitors on an expedition “Into the Land of Indigo” and its most noticeable feature is the deep blue-painted walls. Unlike ordinary paint, it is exactly the dye extracted from the indigo tree, which is widely used to create colorful textiles by ethnic groups in northern mountains of Vietnam, like the Dao, Nung, Hmong, La Chi, etc.
Visitors are even able to explore the traditional method of making eco-friendly and sustainable indigo dyes as well as textile techniques from harvesting hemp, designing brocade to weaving. Passed down through generations, these techniques have greatly contributed to local livelihoods and ethnic culture.
Featured in the indigo theme are also portraits of ethnic women and indigo-dyed handicrafts they have created throughout their whole lives. While immersing in a space full of ethnic quintessence, visitors can also enjoy a cup of K’Ho coffee, whose incredible flavor can even be complemented with organic honey harvested by the Co Tu people in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
3.3. Northern Vietnam
The northern mountains of Vietnam with breathtaking scenery is the land of various ethnic tribes. Réhahn traveled to the most remote areas to explore and photograph them. He had met with the Cong people who left most of their cultural heritage behind as they migrated from Laos. He was welcomed by the beautiful folk singing of the Si La wearing silver coin lined costumes for good luck.
There are also other tribes such as the Dao, the Pu Peo, the Kho Mu, the Flower Hmong, etc. Together, they all create an immense diversity of languages, handicrafts and traditional costumes. Northern Vietnam may not be an easy land for traveling and making a living, but its spectacular landscapes and rich culture have kept Réhahn coming back again and again.
3.4. Central and Southern Vietnam
The Central and Southern Vietnam section (Source: rehahnphotographer.com)
Réhahn’s journeys in Central and Southern Vietnam have not been smooth as many areas in these two regions allowed limited access to foreigners. To be able to gain entry, he had to be very determined and work tirelessly. One of his most notable accomplishments might be the privilege of meeting with the smallest ethnic group in Vietnam – the O Du people in the central region with only 376 members left.
As Réhahn spent time with ethnicities, he realized how the modern world has been impacting them and he is always concerned about conservation of precious ethnic values. By the time the Central and Southern Vietnam section of the Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum was opened, many traditional costumes were no longer made or worn by locals.
>>> Explore the most economical way to travel from Danang to Hoi An HERE
As a land rich in culture and scenery, Hoi An boasts a wide range of tourist attractions, including An Bang Beach, My Son Sanctuary, Quan Cong Temple, Cantonese Assembly Hall, Tan Ky Old House, etc.
VinWonders Nam Hoi An
Most notably, visitors to Hoi An should never miss VinWonders Nam Hoi An – a amusement park in central Vietnam with interesting games inspired by local culture. VinWonders Nam Hoi An is the ideal place for you and your family to spend a whole day bonding together, exploring adventurous games and knowing more about local culture. This entertainment hub will certainly make your trip to Hoi An more enjoyable.
Book tickets of VinWonders Nam Hoi An here
The Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum can be seen as a new pearl added to such a treasure trove of heritages as Hoi An. There can be no better place to set up a house for preserving and celebrating traditional culture than the ancient town of Vietnam. This museum is truly an art space where visitors can immerse in and admire the combination of modern photography and ethnic values.
