Saigon’s cultural scene is getting a facelift soon, as local officials just broke ground on the city’s first-ever Natural History Museum.
The museum, which covers an area of 23.9 hectares, will be part of the future Historical and Cultural Park constructed in District 9, reports Dan Tri.
Among the proposed features of the attraction will be a 20-hectare botanical garden, a research center and a preservation facility for genetic resources. The museum will also house some 20,000 samples of Vietnam’s local flora and fauna species.
The Science Technology and Production Corp (PTC), the project’s developer, has enlisted around 200 local and foreign science experts to help with the ambitious museum project.
“The museum is the first large-scale complex of culture and science in Vietnam,” General Director of PTC Le Dung told Dan Tri. “Through exhibitions, publications and special programs, the museum will introduce Vietnam’s natural history and environment to locals and foreigners.”
The Natural History Museum will cost US$533 million to build, including US$219 million earmarked for construction of the museum and botanical gardens and US$316 million for future exhibitions. According to Dan Tri, 20% of the overhead will come from the city’s budget to cover land, site clearance, pre-development and initial infrastructure costs.
The museum will open its doors to visitors during the first phase of construction from 2018 to 2022.
[Photo via Bao Moi]
