In addition to visiting Ha Long Bay, Ha Long City contains other worthwhile attractions, most notably the Quang Ninh Museum. Despite the false impression that museums are boring and academic, the Quang Ninh Museum is an interesting location due to a variety of distinctive features.
The Quang Ninh Museum is an exceptional piece of art and architecture. The museum has a very stunning exterior with black glass covering every surface, reflecting the magnificent Ha Long sea and sky like a huge mirror. In addition, the museum is built in a distinctive square shape with black as its dominant color, which also evokes images of coal, a priceless material in Quang Ninh. Indeed, the Quang Ninh Museum’s architecture strikes a careful balance between traditionalism and modernism.
Not only possessing an impressive appearance,but the spacious space inside Quang Ninh museum also makes visitors admire even more. The museum will provide the most comprehensive perspective of the local environment and population with its three levels of themed displays.
1st Floor: Space of Sea and Nature
The Quang Ninh Museum’s first floor is dedicated to an exhibition area with a marine and natural history theme. Here, visitors will be able to admire the enormous skeletons of whales and sharks. Even more outstanding are the LED screens that provide visitors with useful knowledge about the sea, the evolutionary history of the ocean floor.
2nd Floor: Sanctuary of Relics and Archaeological Items
Stepping up to the 2nd floor, visitors will indulge themselves in the historical world, which features numerous models and artifacts from the prehistoric, early, and modern eras. These exhibit spaces are quite distinctive and vivid about the alterations in the lives of the people of Quang Ninh throughout each period. The second level is also a location where visitors can learn about well-known historical locations in Quang Ninh such the Yen Tu Pagoda, Ha Long Bay, etc.
In addition, visitors can also return to the past of Quang Ninh during the resistance war against the US with a room constructed resembling an airplane cabin.
This floor also showcases an area displaying documents, precious books and religious artifacts.
3rd Floor: The History of Coal Mining Industry
Coal mining is one of the symbols of Quang Ninh people. Therefore, the museum has dedicated the 3rd floor area to reproduce the most detailed activities of this industry. Visitors will get the finest understanding of this laborious activity through coal mine replicas that are the same size and sculptures that show the mining techniques of the workers.
In the historic area of the coal industry, visitors will be able to experience a simulation of the coal mining process in a genuine mine in a replicated sand table that mimics contemporary open-pit coal mining technology.
