The National Museum of Vietnamese History in downtown Hà Nội is hosting an exhibition titled ‘Vietnam ceramics: A Separate Tradition – From the An Biên Collection’. Most of the objects belong to a private collection owned by businessman Trần Đình Thăng from the northern coastal city of Hải Phòng. Lê Hương speaks with Phạm Quốc Quân, the former director of the museum and a member of the Việt Nam Culture Heritage Association’s Executive Board on the role of private collectors in preserving cultural heritage.