Souvenir shop sets up at Ho Chi Minh Museum

A souvenir shop was recently set up at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi to mark the 130th anniversary of President Ho’s birthday and the 50th founding anniversary of the museum.

Visitors at the museum shop (Photo: Ho Chi Minh Museum)
Visitors at the museum shop (Photo: Ho Chi Minh Museum)

Covering nearly 200 square metres on the museum’s first floor, the space displays documents, objects and souvenirs relating to the life and revolutionary career of President Ho.

According to the head of the museum’s communication office, Tu Anh, the idea of setting up the space was born two years ago. Ten staff members of the museum made field trips to other museums, souvenir shops, and traditional craft villages in order to study tourists’ tastes and demands, and to make orders of souvenirs to be on display while mapping out ways to organise the space.

The products on sale have clear information on the origin and are stamped with logo of the museum. They were imbued with the land and people of Vietnam as well as essences of the country’s craft practices. Each items also conveys a touching story about Uncle Ho.

Prominent among them include the replicas of Uncle Ho’s tyre rubber sandals made by artisan Pham Quang Xuan; 3D crystal blocks featuring the image of Uncle Ho; replicas of Ho Chi Minh Museum building; and postcards, propaganda posters, films and books on the beloved national leader.

Visitors can also try their hands at creating their own paintings of Uncle Ho on seashell paper and making Vietnamese conical hats from dried lotus leaves.

Vu Manh Ha, the director of the museum, said that the souvenir shop was inaugurated to provide visitors with more interesting experience, thus making the museum a more attractive destination for tourists.