Hội An Spreads Heritage Values through a Series of Creative Activities in Response to International Museum Day 2026

With a theme highlighting the role of museums in connecting communities and preserving culture, this year’s programs are designed to enhance hands-on experiences, foster intergenerational dialogue, and encourage young people to actively engage in the journey of safeguarding heritage.
“Journey to Touch Heritage” - When Young People Connect with Urban Memory
Opening the series is the experiential program “Journey to Touch Heritage”, taking place on 11 May, jointly organized by the Center and Chu Văn An High School for the Gifted, Hanoi.
Through activities exploring museum spaces, learning about architectural heritage, and experiencing local cultural life, the program offers students direct access to Hội An’s distinctive cultural values. More than simply an extracurricular activity, it serves as an effective model of heritage education, helping foster awareness and responsibility among younger generations toward preserving traditional cultural values.
In the context of creative cities increasingly emphasizing people and indigenous knowledge, creating opportunities to “touch” heritage through real-life experiences is considered an important way to make heritage more accessible, vivid, and meaningful to the community.  
From Traditional Crafts to the Story of Living Heritage Preservation
Continuing the series is the talk show “From Hands to Heritage”, scheduled for 17 May, focusing on the traditional craft of bamboo and coconut-leaf house making in Cẩm Thanh.
The program will feature artisan Võ Tấn Tân, who has devoted many years to preserving this distinctive folk craft associated with the Cẩm Thanh nipa palm ecosystem. Through stories of his life and dedication to safeguarding traditional techniques, the talk show highlights the value of “living heritage” where folk knowledge, craftsmanship, and local culture are transmitted across generations.
In the development of creative urban, traditional crafts not only contribute to cultural preservation but also open opportunities for experiential tourism, creative industries, and sustainable livelihoods for local communities.
 “Flood Season Memories” - Connecting Communities through Shared Stories
On 18 May, the Center, in collaboration with the Center for Live and Learn for Environment and Community (Live & Learn), will organize the award ceremony and closing event for the contest “Flood Season Memories - Stories from Grandparents.”
The contest provides a space for generations to share memories of flood seasons in Central Vietnam - stories that reflect resilience, mutual support, and community strength. Beyond storytelling, the program also contributes to preserving collective memory as an important part of intangible cultural heritage.
By connecting family memories with urban narratives, the activity demonstrates that heritage exists not only in architecture or museum collections, but also in the lived experiences and collective memories of local communities.
Bringing Museum Values into Contemporary Life
International Museum Day was initiated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977 to honor the role of museums in preserving heritage, promoting cultural understanding, and strengthening social connections.
The series of activities in Hội An not only responds to this year’s ICOM theme, “Museums for Unity in a Divided World,” but also reflects the city’s efforts to bring museums and heritage closer to the community through creative, interactive, and human-centered approaches. This is also one of the key orientations of a creative city: using culture as a foundation for sustainable development while empowering communities in the preservation and promotion of heritage values.
Through programs of experience, dialogue, and memory-sharing, Hội An continues to affirm its role as a dynamic heritage urban area  where the past is preserved through the active participation of today’s community.