(VOVworld) – Nestled in the center of Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak museum attracts visitors because it preserves and displays cultural heritage, human life and nature of the central highland region. 

The Dak Lak museum is located in the center of Buon Ma Thuot city (Photo: daklakmuseum.org.vn)

The museum, which receives consultations from the French and Vietnamese experts, has 12,000 artifacts, including 1,000 items exhibited permanently. The permanent exhibition is divided into 3 topics: Bio-diversity, Ethnic Culture, and History.

The Ethnic Culture space displays 450 artifacts, including gongs and wine jars, which illustrate daily life, festivals and communal practices of Vietnam’s ethnic group. Museum visitor Nguyen Thanh An said:           “I am most impressed with the specialized exhibition hall where the black and white photos depict the life of central highlanders in the 1950s. I have had a wonderful experience here.”

In addition to permanent exhibitions, there are specialized pavilions highlighting the gong culture, Dak Lak’s renewal and development, and Buon Ma Thuot’s memories. The Dak Lak museum has taken the lead in using ethnic minority languages in narration. Tran Van Nam, Head of the Artifact Collection and Study Division, said: “All the exhibited items, for example, the grave houses, musical instruments, and other things, were created by the local Ede, Giarai and Mnong people. The narration is in English, French, Vietnamese, and the Ede language of the indigenous people.”

Dang Gia Duan, Deputy Director of Dak Lak’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, told VOV about the museum’s expansion plan:“We will build a long house prototype of the Ede ethnic group for open performances of gongs and folk practices of the Ede people. A wharf model, part of the distinctive culture of the central highlanders, will be set up. A statue garden featuring wood sculptures created by locals will also be built.”

The Dak Lak museum has been described as a miniature of the central highland region, which preserves many of the precious cultural heritages of Vietnam.