The groundbreaking ceremony for the project "Renovation and Upgrading of the Vietnam National Museum of History at No. 1 Trang Tien Street" was held on the morning of December 19, 2025, in Hanoi. The event was organized by the Construction Investment Project Management Board (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).
This event was part of a nationwide series of activities marking the 79th anniversary of the National Resistance Day and celebrating the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. The ceremony was also broadcast live through multiple television links across the country, together with other groundbreaking, inauguration, and technical traffic-opening events for key projects and works nationwide.
Welcome Performances
Overview of the Groundbreaking Ceremony
The ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyen Viet Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage; Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hoan, Chairman of Cua Nam Ward People's Committee; Mr. Nguyen Van Doan, Director of Vietnam National Museum of History (VNMH); Mr. Nguyen Van Bay, Director of the Construction Investment Project Management Board (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism); Mr. Pham Trung Hung, Mr. Hoang Van Tuyen, representatives of the construction contractor; together with experts from the Scientific Council leaders and managers of VNMH, and representatives of relevant agencies and units..
An introduction to the project's construction and development process.
The VNMH was established on the basis of the former Louis Finot Museum, a landmark building designed in Indochines architectural style, harmoniously combining Western and Eastern elements. As a valuable and representative architectural heritage of Hanoi, the Museum curently preserves approximately 200,000 documents and artifacts reflecting Vietnam's history and culture, including numerous rare collections and 28 National Treasures (as of 2025). After many years of operation, several infrastructure components and exhibition systems have deteriorated and require renovation and upgrading to meet current requirements for heritage preservation and value enhancement.
Live broadcast of the national groundbreaking and inauguration events
Mr. Nguyen Viet Cuong speaking at the ceremony.
Mr. Nguyen Van Bay speaking at the ceremony.
Mr. Pham Trung Hung speaking at the ceremony.
The project is invested by the Project Management Board for Construction Investment and was approved in principle by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Decision No. 1685/QD-BVHTTDL dated May 26, 2021. It aims to renovate and upgrade the exhibition building architecture; Dismantle and rebuild the Company 5 Command House; Upgrade technical infrastructure, interior design, exhibition equipment, and outdoor landscape. Through these works, the project will enhance services quality for visitors, ensure long-term safety for documents and artifacts, and strengthen the Museum’s capacity to preserve and promote heritage values at the site located at No.1 Trang Tien Street
It is one of 234 key projects across 34 provinces and cities eligible for groundbreaking on this occasion.
Mr. Nguyen Van Doan speaking at the ceremony.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Van Doan, Director of the VNMH, emphasized that this is the only project of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism selected for groundbreaking on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the National Resistance Day and in celebration of the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He noted that this is a specialized project of significant architectural value, and therefore the preparation of the economic–technical report for such a special type of heritage building required particularly rigorous and demanding standards. Consequently, every stage of implementation requires a combination of scientific precision and a high sense of responsibility to ensure the preservation of historical and cultural heritage while effectively meeting the developmental needs of the new era.
Delegates performing the official groundbreaking ritual.
On this occasion, Mr. Nguyen Van Doan expressed his sincere gratitude to the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, relevant agencies, the Project Management Board, consultants, experts, scientists and the staff of museum for their hard work during the preparation stages, which created an important foundation for the project. He also expressed his confidence that, with close coordination among all parties and the strong commitment of the construction units, the project will be completed on schedule with high quality and efficiency.
Thu Hien