This project is being carried out by the Vietnam Graphics Co., Ltd, under the sponsorship of the Hanoi People’s Committee and the Co Loa – Hanoi Ancient Citadel Preservation Centre. Professor of history Phan Huy Le is the consultant.

This 45-minute film was begun 18 months ago. It focuses on the history of the Ly – Tran – Le dynasties, through archaeological discoveries, historical books and research works of leading experts.

The general director of this project, Nguyen Long Hung, went to the US to learn experience from big film firms in Hollywood like Discovery and Walt Disney. The movie will include interviews with government officials and researchers.

The museum, themed “A Cultural Journey” is divided into two sections, with the first presenting a general overview on the Vietnamese culture, comprising 54 ethnic groups and covering their geographical distribution, cultural identities, costumes and lifestyles.

The second part introduces cultures from various periods in Vietnam’s history, such as the Sa Huynh and Dong Son.

The Sa Huynh culture was a late prehistoric metal age society located on the central coast of Vietnam around the 2nd century AD. In 1909, nearly 200 urns were unearthed in Sa Huynh, in Hoi An. The Sa Huynh culture cremated adults and buried them in jars, a practice unique to the culture.

The Dong Son culture is linked to the Tibeto-Buram culture, the Dai culture in Yunnan and Laos and the Mon-Khmer. The Dong Son culture was a bronze culture, which included most of Southeast Asia and into the Indo-Malay Archipelago, it existed between 1,000 to 1 BC. The northern central province of Thanh Hoa is the origin of the Dong Son culture in Vietnam.

The exhibits include artifacts dating back hundreds of years, showcasing the evolution of earthenware and pottery in Vietnam.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Tien Van said he and all of Vietnam appreciates the national museum’s interest in Vietnam’s culture, and recognizes its importance to relations between the two countries.

He also said Vietnam makes 2009 the year of cultural diplomacy with the aim of promoting Vietnamese culture overseas.

The Director of the Korean National Museum, Choi Kwang-sick asked cultural management agencies in Vietnam to increase relic and artifact exchanges to provide more opportunities for the two peoples’ to better understand each other’s cultures and traditions.

He added that the museum is considering holding a “Vietnam Week” some time this year.

Each week, two Vietnamese students in the RoK take turns volunteering at the museum as guides at the exhibition. One such student, Kieu Huong, said the exhibition has attracted numerous Korean visitors, which she attributes to the cultural similarities between the two nations.

Officials from Hanoi, Haiphong, Quang Ninh and Lao Cai, proposed cooperation initiatives regarding the development of tourism-related mechanisms and policies, tourist products, promotion activities and the training of human resources for the sector.

Vietnam’s officials also suggested that relevant agencies of the two countries consider issue entry visas for tourists from other countries at border gates.

To spur tourism in the long term, Vietnam proposed the development of a ‘golden tour’ service on the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Haiphong-Quang Ninh route for Chinese visitors, and a tour of Yunnan for Vietnamese tourists, as well as exploring more diverse options for both countries’ tourists.

Additionally, the Vietnamese side also proposed that its Chinese counterpart establish a tour from Yunnan to localities lying along Vietnam’s economic corridor and to Laos, and work together in formulating the programme “two nations, five destinations” that will highlight Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay, and Cat Ba of Vietnam, and China’s Kunming.

The Chinese side pledged to coordinate with Vietnamese officials and agencies to streamline customs procedures for the two countries’ tourists, to improve ease of travel. They also highlighted the need for the two sides to develop a framework for joint tours in the sub-Mekong region.

Yunnan officials offered both financial assistance and experts to train personnel for Vietnam’s tourist sector, and are eager to share experiences with Vietnamese counterparts.

Yunnan Province is preparing to introduce direct flights to HCMC, and a route on the Red River from Kunming to Haiphong in a bid to increase the number of Chinese travellers to Vietnam and attract more Vietnamese tourists to China

The figure is thanks to the effectiveness of Halong Bay’s image promotion to foreign friends and domestic tourists over the past time. In June alone, about 213,300 tourists have been come to Halong Bay, including nearly 130,500 foreigners, raising this figure for the first six months to 789,260, up 56% against the same period last year.

In the first six months of 2008, the number of tourists staying overnight surged. Nearly 10,812 ships and 144,223 tourists stayed overnight on the bay. Halong Bay earned about VND 43.5 billion from tickets, contributing more than VND 24 billion to the budget.