Viet Nam's National Museum of Nature is building a new exhibition hall dedicated to the evolution of living things, which will help it become the leading museum of its kind in Viet Nam.—Photo anningthudo

HA NOI (VNS)– Viet Nam's National Museum of Nature is building a new exhibition hall dedicated to the evolution of living things, which will help it become the leading museum of its kind in Viet Nam.

The VND340 billion (US$16 million) project, which began last year, has entered its final stages and is scheduled to open later this year.

The display area, which takes up nearly 300sq.m of the museums's first floor, will be divided into three sections, explaining the origin of life, the history of life and present day life. There will be an expansive range of specimens and artifacts, giving a clear and factual account of the evolutionary process during different periods of the earth's existence.

The museum will also show 3D films to educate people on nature and the importance of environmental protection.

The Museum of Nature, part of Viet Nam's Academy of Science and Technology, is responsible for collecting, preserving, displaying and researching the natural world in Viet Nam for educational purposes and to support and campaign for more scientific research, as well as highlighting the country's tourist attractions in this sector.

First established in 2006 at 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Ha Noi, the museum now holds more than 40,000 specimens, including mammals, reptiles and amphibians, fish, insects and a huge number of flora specimens, several of them peculiar to Viet Nam.

The museum has also preserved the fossils of gastropods and other ancient cycadales, both dating back 20.3 million years as well as a 18.5-tonne giant whale.

Recently, the museum completed a collection of over 800 fossils from 203 to 175 million years old such as ammonites, bivalves, gastropods and gymnosperms. – VNS