In human history, memory is a part of history, also an important part of forming human values. Human memory is a special, priceless and immeasurable type of heritage. T.S Le Thi Minh Ly- Vice President of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, Member of the National Council of Cultural Heritage “Vietnam has been and needs to better identify this heritage value in order to have solutions to collect, store, protect and promote its value”. Currently, along with promoting other tangible and intangible cultural heritage values, the memory heritage needs to have more specific solutions to promote and preserve values, especially in the present time. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many obstacles to the heritage industry.
The War Remnants Museum is one of the places to keep such memories, which has required the museum to have further innovations in collection and display to introduce the history more vividly, not just mere galleries but also a space full of memories of an unforgettable time in the subconscious of Vietnamese people, providing opportunities to learn, experience and touch the emotions of visitors. In recent times, War Remnants Museum has adopted not only artifacts but also stories - part of the legacy of memory to convey the message of peace. This has been determined from the first days of its establishment and for the same amount of time the museum's employees have tried to promote the value of this memory heritage.
In the era of globalization, the development of information technology creates conditions for museums in general and the War Remnants Museum in particular to further spread the value of memory heritage, challenges appear, especially in the context of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The time when people want to communicate with each other requires a certain distance, even when most activities are based on online platforms. Working at museums is even more difficult when previously most activities took place directly, organized in a community and collective environment. That requires the Museum to take measures to adapt to the new situation, both ensuring the task of repelling the epidemic and ensuring the preservation and promotion of the value of the memory heritage.
From this actual situation, the War Remnants Museum has tried to experiment with many solutions to ensure uninterrupted conservation and promotion of heritage values, using advances in the digital age to support the preservation of the heritage. spreading the value of peace, helping to connect the public with war witnesses - the subject of the memory legacy.
The online tour program is one of the solutions that War Remnants Museum has implemented in nearly a year of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in Vietnam. This online tour program is built on the heritage value that the Museum has combined with the needs of the beneficiaries through the technology platform. Online tour programs have taken place with reunions that can be several tens of kilometers, even thousands of kilometers apart, with no restrictions on any country or territory, no limit on number, because there are Digital platforms can connect thousands of people at the same time. Thus, visitors from all over Vietnam or around the world can continue to explore the legacy of memories at the War Remnants Museum in this Covid era. Recently, the Museum has initially served Japanese students, students and tourists, will soon serve Malaysian tourists and is ready to serve all the public when there is a need. contact the Museum for an unprecedented preferential fee.
In the era of information technology explosion, when just a light touch on the phone screen is thousands of information appear, visitors of the memory heritage also need access to authentic, original information. clearly, and it is best to receive information from the place that has spent many years researching, collecting, preserving and displaying the type of memory heritage of war crimes - War Remnants Museum. It is undeniable that the efforts of the staffs of the Museum in the past time, however, must also be acknowledged the fact that at present, museums in the world in general and other museums in Vietnam have growing rapidly, applying many scientific and technological achievements to the display and access to visitors. According to Fast Company, 2,500 museums and galleries around the world have partnered with Google Arts and Cultural to offer virtual tours and online exhibitions to the public during the Covid-19 pandemic, including some of the world's most famous museums such as the British Museum, Seoul Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art, the National Gallery of American Art, etc. virtual reality right at the museum's website.
The Covid -19 pandemic is like a test for the vitality of heritage values in general and memory heritage in particular, contents are a core for the value still in visitors. Therefore, the staffs of the Museum are still making efforts every day to enrich the content and enrich, create and effectively transmit methods in order to preserve and promote the value of the memory heritage, spreading the value of peace to the public at home and abroad.
Some pictures of the online tour at the War Remnants Museum:
Online tour and exchange program with Agent Orange victim Nguyen Duc serving Japanese guests.
Online tour program for students of Foreign Trade University.