A woman in central highlands Dak Lak Province has spent many years collecting antiquities in the region and she wishes to open a private museum to exhibit nearly 3,000 items.

Several gongs collected by Cuc

Ngo Thi Kim Cuc currently displays many of her antiques at her café at the end of Pham Hong Thai Street in Buon Ma Thuot City, while many others are kept in storage.

Her collection includes items varying from traditional costumes, jewelry, items for daily life and hunting tools, all the way to dug-out canoes, alcohol jars and musical instruments of several ethnic minority groups in the central highlands region.

Many visitors have been most astonished at the collection of 138 old drums that are said to be over a century, along with more than 30 precious gongs. Her collection of alcohol jars were designed by dozens of ethnic groups like E de, Jrai, Xe dang, M’nong and Pih.

Working in the museum industry for 34 years, Cuc deeply understands difficulties faced by the sector in preservation of such cultural heritages due to the lack of funding and cumbersome bureaucratic procedures.

“During my time working I've visited villages in the highlands and was presented with gifts from locals. I keep them and have a small collection. During a time when it seems our culture and traditions are fading, I thought it would be a good idea to preserve these items and display them to foreign visitors,” Cuc said.

She started to find and collect antiques in the 1990s and has received great support from her husband, a martial arts instructor. He told his students to inform him of any antiques they found.

Her collection includes 138 old drums

There was a time when the family was facing economic difficulties, still the husband did not hesitate to spend all money they had and cycle hundreds of kilometres to collect antiquities. Sometimes, it took them as much as six months to persuade antique owners to hand over their special jars. Other times they might have to donate a buffalo, cow or other offerings to get an old dug-out canoe.

When she retired in 2011, she intended to change the family's 2,000 squares metre farm into a private museum. However, her dream did not come true, as the land was revoked for the building of a public work. The compensation was not enough for them to buy enough land to for the museum.

Now, they have to keep many of their collection in storage, bringing some things out sometimes just to dry.

Bui Van Khoi, an official from the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, “Cuc’s collection is considerable and large enough for a private museum.”

To Anh Tuan, Director, of Dak Nong provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the government should aid Cuc in opening a private museum so as to introduce regional culture to both locals and foreign visitors.