VietNamNet Bridge - The incident occurred in the evening of October 24 at the Museum of Muong Cultural Space in Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province. This is the only house on stilts of the remaining mandarin of the Muong people in preservation in Vietnam.

According to the museum’s managers, a group of tourists, including two men and two women, came to the museum in two cars. They visited this house and set fire to roast maize, causing the fire. When the fire broke out, these tourists did not call for help but got into their cars and ran away. Three museum employees attempted to prevent them from fleeing, but they did not stop.

The museum called the police for help. However, as the road from Hoa Binh city to the museum was being repaired, the fire trucks arrived 30 minutes later, when the house was completed burned.

Nearly 200 original artifacts of Muong culture were ruined.

Mr. Vu Duc Hieu, the museum’s Director said the fire caused serious damage in terms of material and spiritual values.

The house before the fire.

"The mandarin’s house of over 100 years old is the original architecture of the mandarin’s family - the highest strata in the society of Muong people. Nearly 200 artifacts that the museum collected in nearly 15 years were also burned. This is heavy loss for the museum in particular and Muong culture in general since the house and the original artifacts inside cannot be recreated," said Hieu.

Brigadier General, Director of Hoa Binh Police Agency – Mr. Bui Duc Son says that the authorities are investigating the fire. Currently the authorities have not identified the groups of visitors who are suspected of causing the incident.

The Muong Cultural Space Museum is the first private museum in the northern province of Hoa Binh and the only museum in Viet Nam devoted to ethnic Muong culture. The owner Hieu won the Phan Chau Trinh Award early this year for his contributions to promoting the preservation of Muong culture in Viet Nam.

T. Van