Five years after the Victorian State Government committed $4.45 million to deliver Australia’s first Vietnamese cultural museum, the project has moved from the originally planned location in Melbourne’s Footscray to the Sunshine CBD in Brimbank.

With Brimbank being home to about 32,000 residents of Vietnamese heritage, Vietnamese Museum Australia expressed strong interest in locating to Sunshine after formally rescinding their contract with Maribyrnong City Council for a site in Footscray in October 2023.

Brimbank Council is currently considering a suitable location in Sunshine for the nationally significant museum and has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnamese Museum Australia to facilitate the process.

The project has about $18 million of funding, including $10 million federal funding, $7 million state funding, and $1 million community funding with additional funds expected through grants, corporate donations and sponsorships. A potential site on the Council-owned Durham Road car park has been identified; however, the decision to sell a part of the land would be subject to community engagement and a future Council meeting.

The Council will be seeking community feedback on the proposed sale of Council land between 22 January and 19 February 2024.

Facilitating the proposed Vietnamese Museum Australia in Brimbank as a national visitor and cultural destination builds on a strong list of already committed investment in Sunshine CBD, and would be a catalyst for further investment and help establish a visitor economy, the Council stated in a media release.

“The longstanding and vibrant Vietnamese community that makes up the Sunshine CBD of today has helped make it a regional destination to experience authentic Vietnamese food, street life and culture,” says Brimbank Mayor Ranka Rasic.

“Through the Transforming Brimbank program we’re committed to delivering meaningful and generational change for Brimbank, by leveraging major investment and infrastructure opportunities. This is one of those opportunities.”

Designed by leading architectural firm Konzepte Melbourne, the proposed Vietnamese Museum Australia is a four-storey building, featuring a lobby, social services, resource centre and cafe on the ground floor; a multipurpose events space on the 2nd floor; exhibition spaces on the 3rd floor; and a shrine and memorial garden on the 4th floor.

 

Image: Konzepte Melbourne/ Vietnamese Museum Australia