An old house which belonged to the hereditary mandarin of the Muong People (or Quan Lang), at Muong Ethnic Group Cultural Space Museum in Hoa Binh Province, has been burnt down.

The stilt house after the fire 

The fire occurred on the evening of October 24, destroying around 200 objects made from materials such as bamboo, ceramic, cloth and copper.

According to Vietnam News Agency, on that night at around 7:00 p.m, four people, two men and two women, allegedly drove two cars into the Muong Ethnic Group Cultural Space Museum in order to book a meal at the Quan Lang stilt house. While waiting for the meal, they went to the old 150-square metre house stilt house to light a radiator without permission, causing the fire.

The fire quickly spread to the roof of the house, and the four guests were unable to control it. They called the museum staff members, but the house was made mostly of flammable materials such as wood and thatches.

Bui Van Tho, the chef at the museum, said the fire not only burned down the house, which was hundreds, but also destroyed historically valuable exhibits.

Around 200 objects destroyed after the fire

Tho added that, after failing to control the fire, the four guests fled the scene although three staff members try to prevent them. Luckily, there were no injuries.

Muong Ethnic Group Cultural Space Museum is the first private museum in Hoa Binh province and the only museum in Vietnam devoted to Muong culture.

The museum was founded by Vu Duc Hieu, a painter born and raised in Hanoi, whose heart belongs to the Muong culture. Hieu travelled widely collecting artifacts, researching the Muong culture, and seeking a suitable venue for the museum. His initiative to create the Muong Ethnic Group Cultural Space Museum was enthusiastically supported by the Hoa Binh provincial Department of Culture and Sports, administrators at all levels, and the Muong people. After ten years of planning and a year of construction, the 2-hectare museum officially opened on December 16th, 2007.

The stilt house before the fire

Management agencies are conducting a continuing investigation into the case.