On display are 42 items on three different themes including Indonesian costumes, glass and lacquer paintings.

The glass paintings depict the ancient Indian epics the Mahabhrata and the Ramayana as well as Islamic and Indonesian people’s daily life.

The exhibition aims to introduce and promote a complete image of Southeast Asian people at the museum’s new Kite Building, which will open to the public soon.

The new building show visitors the cultural diversity and unification of the region and explore the differences and similarities of each ethnic group.

The Kite Building reflects Vietnam’s efforts to preserve and introduce regional cultures for mutual understanding and will serve as a venue for traveling exhibitions from the museums in the region.

Displays at the Kite Building will be divided into five main themes including textiles and costumes, daily life, social life, performance arts and religions and beliefs.

The current exhibition is greatly indebted to the help of French museology expert from Quai Branly Museum Christine Hemmet, graphic designer Patrick Hoarau, and materials master Francoise Dalex.

Dr. Vi Van An, Head of the Museum’s Southeast Asian Department, said that most of the exhibited items focus on unique weaving skills and products that are popular both in Southeast Asia and Europe such as the clothing of the Ga’dang, an ethnic minority group from the Philippines.

There are also nine lacquered artifacts from Myanmar, some of which are hundreds of years old.

Since 2006, the VME has collected more than 2,000 items, 8,000 documentary photos and 30 video tapes from 9 countries in the region including Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Laos and Myanmar; other are obtained from some individual foreign collectors.