(VOVWORLD) - With a passion to preserve the culture of Can Tho, the capital of the Mekong Delta region, Nguyen An Ha for the past 15 years has been collecting thousands of antiques which are on display in his house which he called the Cam Thi Museum. This place is a favorite spot for antique collectors in Can Tho city.
 Cam Thi Museum is a favorite spot for antique collectors in Can Tho city |
Cam Thi Museum is located on Nguyen Van Linh Street, Thoi An Dong ward, Binh Thuy district, Can Tho city. The road leading into the exhibition area is flanked by fences in an ancient style. After 15 years of collecting antiques, Ha came up with the idea of classifying the antiques into 11 categories, including house gates, military bunkers, southern houses, southern vehicles, southern ao dai, and newspapers from various periods.
His fleet of old vehicles used before 1975 includes hand-rickshaws, rickshaws, motorized cyclos, motorbikes, 3-wheeled auto rickshaws, and a 67 Honda motorbike that legendary songwriter Trinh Cong Son used to ride. His collection includes more than 200 ao dai, each associated with the memory of an ancient house in Can Tho. His collection of newspapers, including the An Ha Daily and the Spring Press from 1949-1954, features ancient Can Tho and its cultural values.
 Ha owns ancient hand-drawn newspapers from various periods. |
Nguyen Cong Duong, a visitor from Phong Dien district, said, "I’m most impressed with his collection of old newspapers with unique, hand-drawn covers. This is a valuable treasure that Mr.Ha spent years of effort to put together. I’m learning a lot of about the culture and history of the land and people of the Can Tho region."
Nham Hung, a researcher of the culture of the Southern region, said Ha's special house depicts the characteristics of the Southern land, especially the ancient Can Tho City. The civil means of transport in the 1950s and 1960s, especially the rare collection of wartime military vehicles in Vietnam, captures visitors’ attention.
Mr. Ha renovated military vehicles into military-style rooms equipped with wartime artifacts. Researcher Hung said, "I highly appreciate the effort of the curator of these collections which educate young people about the history of the nation."
 A collection of old ao dai is on display at the Cam Thi Museum |
Mr. Ha also collects damaged or missing parts of cars and military vehicles to repair, returning them to their original state. He is finalizing the procedures for his special house to be recognized as a private museum. At the same time, he also included the Cam Thi Museum in associated tourism activities to boost local tourism. Mr. Ha said, "I’ve connected 10 local garden houses to develop our community tourism with the museum as the highlight. It tells a story about culture, cuisine, and people’s lives."
Cam Thi Museum has become a tourist attraction in Can Tho. After years of "hunting" for ancient artifacts, Nguyen An Ha has created a unique space to inspire the exploration of antiques and serve as a peaceful place to escape hectic life.