Work is officially underway on Australia's first ever Vietnamese Cultural Centre and Museum, with the first sod turned on the site in Sunshine - the epicentre for Vietnamese culture in Victoria and Australia.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt attended the project's official groundbreaking ceremony and announced an additional $2 million in Labor Government funding to support the construction and fit-out of the Vietnamese Cultural Centre and Museum.
Once complete, the Museum will be a destination for Vietnamese Victorians to honour and celebrate their heritage and preserve stories of migration and refugee settlement.
Backed by an investment of $8.7 million by the Allan Labor Government, it will host exhibitions to honour migrant journeys to freedom and celebrate the significant contributions of the Vietnamese community to the multicultural fabric of Australia, with the museum set to receive more than 280 artefacts.
The three-storey building will also include a resource centre for education, as well as a function centre and café to accommodate community events for up to 450 guests from across Victoria, interstate and abroad.
This milestone comes as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia, marking five decades of contribution, resilience, and cultural heritage.
The Labor Government investment in the project acknowledges the importance of the more than 121,000 people of Vietnamese heritage living in Victoria, with more than 93,000 born in Vietnam - making it the fifth largest overseas born population in Victoria.
The Vietnamese Museum Australia is one of seven cultural museums in the Multicultural Museums Victoria Network, alongside the Nafsika Stamoulis Hellenic Museum, Museum of Chinese Australian History, Jewish Museum of Australia, Islamic Museum of Australia, Museo Italiano and Golden Dragon Museum.
As stated by Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt
"This milestone marks the beginning of an important chapter for our Vietnamese community who have contributed significantly to Victoria's rich multicultural society over the past 50 years."
As stated by Member for Laverton Sarah Connolly
"Australia's first Vietnamese Museum will capture the vibrant, diverse and at times tragic history of our local Vietnamese community in Melbourne's west and beyond."
As stated by Member for St Albans Natalie Suleyman
"2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia and what better way to acknowledge the important contribution of our Vietnamese community, than by investing in Australia's first Vietnamese museum."
As stated by Vietnamese Museum Australia CEO Tammy Nguyen
"This groundbreaking is not just about laying the foundation of a building - it is about honouring the resilience, contributions, and stories of Vietnamese Australians."
