Curating futures: Vietnamese museums in transition

This week marked the first time that Vietnam’s public and private museum sectors came together to comprehensively discuss the role and future of curatorial practice in transforming cultural institutions. This forum represented the second stage in a national three-part series aimed at enhancing cultural leadership, fostering creativity, and innovating museum models across the country. The next forum is scheduled to take place in Da Nang in December 2025.

Timely and focused: Dialogue ahead of new policy waves

The forum was held at a pivotal moment, just before the new Circular on Museum Professional Duties came into effect on July 1 coincides with the publication of the 2025 Cultural Heritage Law. These policy shifts reflect a changing mindset: curatorship is not merely a technical role but a key to transforming museums into vibrant, community-connected spaces. Although the formal role of “curator” has yet to be officially recognized within Vietnam’s public museums, active curatorial practices are flourishing. The forum served as a call to formally acknowledge these roles and establish clear professional pathways for current and future curators.

Innovation, interdisciplinarity, and inclusion: A dynamic gathering of knowledge and connections

With over 100 delegates from across the country, the one-day forum in Ho Chi Minh City featured keynote speeches, in-depth panel discussions, professional collaboration sessions, and site visits to the Quang San Art Museum, Mot +++ Contemporary Art Centre, and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts. Key topics included community-based curatorship, storytelling and memory, sustainable financial models for cultural institutions, career development for emerging curators, and knowledge exchange between local and global contexts.

Global perspectives, local Impact: Academic insights supporting sector development

Associate Professor Jane Gavan, founder and co-lead of the Curating Futures initiative, likened museums to “cultural gardens” that require creativity, investment, and public trust to thrive. She emphasized the urgent need to support those working creatively and collaboratively within heritage spaces, especially amid Vietnam’s rapidly evolving cultural landscape.

Professor Nguyen Thu Anh, Director of the Sydney Vietnam Institute, highlighted the importance of institutional partnerships grounded locally but informed by global perspectives. 

"We believe connecting researchers, cultural practitioners, artists, and curators from public to private, local to international is the key to building a flexible, multidimensional, and sustainable cultural ecosystem" 

She also affirmed the University of Sydney’s commitment to capacity building and inclusive knowledge sharing with long-term impact in Vietnam and the region.

Widespread impact: From media attention to policy and long-term research

The forum quickly gained strong public and media attention, with prominent coverage in Báo Văn Hóa, Tuổi Trẻ Online, a news item on the natonal channel HTV1 and a special 10-minute television feature produced by Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV), scheduled to air in July. On the policy front, the event provided a platform for public dialogue ahead of the new Circular’s implementation and underscored the urgent need for established career pathways for curators. Currently, the Sydney Vietnam Institute is developing a three-year collaborative research and training program supported by UNESCO Vietnam, with funding applications underway. This initiative directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—especially SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 16 (Strong Institutions)—and aligns with UNESCO’s Mondiacult Declaration, which affirms culture as a global public good.

Looking to Da Nang: shaping the future of curatorship starts today

The final forum in the series is scheduled for December in Da Nang, coinciding with the official implementation of the revised Cultural Heritage Law. Hosted at the newly renovated Danang Museum, this concluding event will foreground local perspectives and mark the launch of a three-year plan for sector-wide development. Phase one will focus on advanced training and the establishment of government policy advisory frameworks to formally recognise and name existing collective curatorial roles within public museums. Subsequent phases will support the appointment of paid curators—many already serving in collective leadership capacities—across museums nationwide, alongside strengthened policy support for museum educators. It will be a strategic step toward elevating Vietnam’s museums to international standards of creativity, transparency, and sustainable development.