Ho Chi Minh City museum targets online collection access in 2027

The Southern Women’s Museum in Ho Chi Minh City aims to complete an exhibition system in 2027 that would make its entire collection accessible online, Deputy Director Pham Thi Dieu said. The system forms part of a museum expansion project.

Of the museum’s 1,113 digitised artefacts, the public can currently access 113. Thousands of other items await the new exhibition system. Data storage, consistent information standards, content production and staffing remain unresolved challenges for the city’s digital heritage efforts.

Elsewhere in the city, the War Remnants Museum has completed digitisation of its artefact records, according to Deputy Director Lam Ngo Hoang Anh. It has also standardised descriptive terminology across 130 pages to help staff catalogue and retrieve items. Visitor services include two automated gates for ticket checks and audio guidance covering 119 content points across 10 languages.

Tan Dinh ward plans a phased digitisation of Ngoc Hoang Pagoda, a national-level architectural and artistic heritage site, before tackling three city-level sites, said Do Thi Anh Tuyet, Vice Chairwoman of the ward People’s Committee.

Nguyen Minh Nhut, Deputy Director of the Municipal Department of Culture and Sports, said digital preservation requires strict standards for both technology and data. He said information must be lawfully sourced, complete, consistent and suitable for sharing and reuse.