Ho Chi Minh City night museums boost cultural tourism and nighttime economy

Ho Chi Minh City is turning its museums and heritage sites into evening destinations, offering concerts, tea‑ceremony performances, 3‑D mapping shows and other artistic programmes. The Fine Arts Museum runs weekend night events that combine exhibition tours with live music, while the City Museum has piloted a 19:00‑21:00 opening featuring tea‑culture activities and traditional ceramic‑decoration workshops. Officials say the initiative aims to create a habit of weekend night visits, attract younger audiences and generate new cultural products for the city’s growing nighttime economy. Nguyen Minh Nhut, deputy director of the Department of Culture and Sports, highlighted the goal of integrating museums into residents’ leisure time, and Doan Thi Trang, director of the City Museum, described the pilot as a first step to assess effectiveness. Similar night‑time programmes are being trialled at the Museum‑Library in Ba Ria‑Vung Tau, where lighting shows illuminate historic sites. The coordinated effort is part of Ho Chi Minh City’s plan to expand cultural industries, tourism and the night‑time economy.