UPDATE: Australia’s first Vietnamese cultural centre, the Vietnamese Refugee Museum Australia, has reached a significant construction milestone with the successful pouring of concrete for the museum’s roof. The event took place earlier this month in Sunshine, Australia, with Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt and St Albans MP Natalie Suleyman on-site to mark this important occasion.
The state government announced that the roof was completed two weeks ahead of schedule, signaling rapid progress on this landmark project. Practical completion of the building is now slated for March 2024, with the museum expected to officially open in 2026 after the installation of galleries and exhibitions.
The newly confirmed name, Vietnamese Refugee Museum Australia, reflects the museum’s mission to preserve and share the rich stories of Vietnamese refugees and their families. Extensive consultations with community and faith leaders across Australia helped shape this new identity, ensuring the museum honors the past while engaging with the present and inspiring future generations.
Once completed, the museum will serve as a vital space for exhibitions, education, and community events, joining the Multicultural Museums Victoria network. This initiative is particularly significant, given that there are over 120,000 Victorians of Vietnamese heritage, including more than 93,000 individuals born in Vietnam, making it the fifth-largest overseas-born community in the state.
The development of the Vietnamese Refugee Museum Australia not only emphasizes the importance of multicultural representation but also highlights the rich cultural contributions of the Vietnamese community in Victoria. As the project moves forward, it will create an enduring legacy that preserves the narratives of resilience and hope among Vietnamese refugees.
Stay tuned for further updates as construction progresses and the community prepares for the opening of this groundbreaking cultural institution.
