Starting construction process of Alexandre Yersin Museum

Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee recently issued a decision approving the task outline and budget estimate for the project on building Alexandre Yersin Museum. This is considered a necessary starting step in construction process of Alexandre Yersin Museum project which is slated to be completed in 2027.

Another work to commemorate Doctor A.Yersin

Dr. A.Yersin spent most of his life living and working in Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa and developed a strong attachment to the land and its people. The people here also loved him like a family member. Many constructions in Khanh Hoa such as schools, hospitals, roads, and parks are named after Dr. A.Yersin. However, for many years, the admirers of Dr. A.Yersin have wished for a quality museum to do researches, introduce, display and promote the doctor’s life and career to people and tourists in Vietnam and over the world. 

The area of Guest House 378 is chosen to build Alexandre Yersin Museum (Photo: Vinh Thanh)

As said by Dong Luong Son, chairman of Khanh Hoa Province Association of Admirers of Dr. Alexandre Yersin, for many years, the association has always wished to build a new Yersin museum and also proposed this to the province’s leaders many times. If the new Yersin Museum is built, the association and its members will actively offer support and their artifacts, images, and documents related to Dr. A.Yersin to the museum.

The existing Yersin Museum is located in Nha Trang Pasteur Institute. This museum was built 27 years ago on an area of about 100m2, displaying many valuable artifacts and images related to the life and scientific career of Dr. A.Yersin. However, the museum is small, located within the premises of Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, which limits the promotion and development of the museum's values. The museum doesn’t receive many visitors and mainly serves as a place to preserve artifacts, images and documents. The construction of the new Alexandre Yersin Museum is necessary, not only to preserve, display and promote the values that the doctor contributed to humanity, to pay tribute to his great contributions to Khanh Hoa and local people but also to serve as a bridge connecting Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa in particular, Vietnam in general with the world through images of Vietnamese culture, country and people. This is also expected to become tourist attraction contributing to the development of local tourism economy.

A work recalling Dr. Alexandre Yersin's house

Alexandre Yersin Museum is slated to be built in the area of Guest House 378, adjacent to Yersin Park. The total land area of the museum is 5,787m2; construction density is not more than 40%, total floor area is 10,000m2.  The architecture of Alexandre Yersin Museum will bear typical characteristics which are closely associated with Dr. A.Yersin, according to Nguyen Van Nhuan, director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports. The main display section will be designed to recall Dr. Alexandre Yersin's house. The work is planned to be implemented and finished in the period of 2025 – 2027.

The future displays held at Alexandre Yersin Museum will tell visitors the life and career of Dr. A.Yersin, a scientist who was always dedicated to science. Through the exhibits, visitors can learn more about the achievements, scientific researches and contributions of Dr. A.Yersin to human health and social progress; his deep humanity towards people in general and Nha Trang people in particular.

The museum's outdoor space is a park featuring the characteristics of a coastal locality and displaying exhibits related to Dr. A.Yersin such as a garden of statues; a model of the thatched cottage where Dr. A.Yersin lived and worked during the time he conducted researches on plague in Hong Kong, a model of his small house on the mountainside overlooking Suoi Dau farm, and a model of his wooden house on the top of Hon Ba Mountain.

Giang Dinh
Translated by H.N