Construction begins on nation's first Vietnamese cultural centre and museum

Construction has commenced on a forthcoming museum dedicated to celebrating Vietnamese culture and preserving stories of Vietnamese migration.

Located in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine, the three-storey building, designed by Konzepte Melbourne, will accommodate a resource centre for educational purposes, a hospitality offering and a function centre with the capacity to host events with up to 450 guests. Additionally, the museum will house a collection of more than 280 cultural artefacts.

According to a design concept statement, the precast concrete facade features curved, wave-like forms that symbolise the journeys embarked on by many during the Vietnamese diaspora. The statement added that the curved tops and repetitive rhythm of the facade are inspired by the shape of bamboo, while the earthy red colour chosen for the exterior references the Australian landscape.

In 2022, the Department of Home Affairs reported that 281,810 people born in Vietnam were living in Australia. This makes the Vietnamese-born population the sixth largest migrant community in the country.

Member for St Albans Natalie Suleyman stated that 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia. "What better way to acknowledge the important contribution of our Vietnamese community than by investing in Australia's first Vietnamese museum," said Suleyman.

The proposed project has encountered significant delays and a change of location since its unveiling in 2020. Original plans listed 222 Barkly Street in Melbourne's Footscray as the nominated site for the development. In mid-2022, the Maribyrnong City Council granted a planning permit for the Footscray site with the condition that the museum and an adjacent landowner to the south come to an agreement regarding the location of loading facilities. The Vietnamese Museum of Australia (VMA) committee subsequently lodged an amendment application to remove the condition, which was refused by the council in 2023. Plans for the museum to be sited at 222 Barkly Street were later abandoned by the museum.

In December 2023, the Brimbank City Council entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the VMA to investigate a possible new site for the cultural building in Sunshine, Melbourne. After a phase of community consultation, the Brimbank City Council announced in early 2024 that a council-owned parking lot had been sold to the VMA for the development of the museum.

The Victorian government has contributed $8.7 million to the project. The expected completion date for the project has not yet been confirmed.