An Giang Museum, ancient features in the middle of the city

With ancient architecture, bearing the mark of the feudal landlord class, An Giang Provincial Museum (facility 1, formerly Kien Giang Museum) is not only an attractive tourist destination but also a place to preserve the unique cultural and historical values of the land and people of An Giang through a series of valuable artifacts.

An Giang Museum, branch 1, attracts many tourists to visit and take photos.

An Giang Provincial Museum, Facility 1, was requisitioned from an ancient house of a feudal landlord built in 1911 as its headquarters with an area of about ^2,000m2 . In 1990, the ancient house was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national architectural and artistic relic. The house has both ancient and modern architecture.

The interior is built in the style of an ancient house, while the exterior is decorated with Western architectural patterns. “The museum is located in an ancient house that is over 100 years old, with a unique blend of traditional Vietnamese architecture and the quintessence of Eastern and Western architecture. This is considered one of the most beautiful and famous ancient houses in the province,” said Mr. Nguyen Quang Khanh, Deputy Director of the Provincial Museum.

Observation shows that the museum's architecture bears the strong imprint of traditional Vietnamese and East Asian culture. The horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, etc. are elaborately carved on wood with familiar images such as dragons, phoenixes, deer, apricot blossoms, and lotus flowers. The museum also clearly reflects the influence of Buddhist culture and ancestor worship.

The front is decorated with many lime platforms, highlighted by the image of a snake head. Below the lime platforms are motifs of chrysanthemums, roses, and lotus flowers, contributing to increasing the aesthetic value. Inside the ancient space, there are still many items that are more than 100 years old, such as a round table set, a mother-of-pearl inlaid wooden cabinet, chairs, etc. All are intact, reflecting the lifestyle and activities of the feudal landlord class in the past.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Khanh, the museum currently has over 22,000 artifacts, images, and documents divided into 6 topics: An Giang land and people, Oc Eo culture, Mac family with the exploration of Ha Tien town, the life and career of National Hero Nguyen Trung Truc, An Giang army and people through two resistance wars against France and the US, artifacts salvaged from the sea.

One of the most attractive topics at the museum is Oc Eo culture with many rare artifacts found locally, having important cultural and historical values, which are the highlights of the museum's exhibition topics.

According to the museum's explanation, this is the theme that attracts the most visitors when coming to the museum; the theme owns rare artifacts with cultural and historical value to this land, which are carefully arranged. In the exhibition area of artifacts on the Oc Eo culture theme, there are many valuable artifacts such as jewelry molds, seals of Oc Eo culture residents, ceramic lamps, fire trident reliefs..., including a large vase dating from the 4th - 6th century AD.

The highlight of the museum is the space displaying artifacts of 6 ancient ships that sank in the sea. In addition to the artifacts on display, the museum's warehouse currently holds many ancient artifacts that have not yet been published. Mr. Huynh Van Dau, a resident of Ca Mau province, said: "Visiting the museum, I was impressed by the house with ancient architecture, unique display rooms, and intact ancient artifacts."

Mr. Nguyen Quang Khanh said: “Every year, the museum welcomes over 10,000 visitors, not only domestic and foreign tourists, but also foreign tourists to visit and learn about the culture, history, country and people of Vietnam in general and An Giang province in particular. In addition, the museum organizes many mobile exhibitions to promote and introduce the culture and history of the land and people of An Giang to the public.”

Coming to An Giang Museum, visitors will admire the cultural and historical values of the land and people of An Giang through the artifacts displayed inside the museum; visitors also learn about the architectural and artistic values of traditional houses and the lifestyle of ancient people.

Article and photos: THUY TIEN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/bao-tang-an-giang-net-xua-giua-pho-a424938.html