Paleontological fossil museum in the heart of the mountain town

For decades, a man in Buon Ma Thuot City (Dak Lak) has been searching for and collecting fossilized shells and wood fibers from hundreds of millions of years ago. To date, his collection is considered the largest private museum of paleontology in the country, with valuable research and archaeological value.

Although it is located in the city, Mr. Hoang Thanh's house (65 years old, Ea Tam Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City) is located deep in a small alley. Right from the gate, fossilized rocks are arranged as if inviting and attracting tourists to visit. Passing through the gate that seems to have existed since the beginning of time, a large garden begins to appear. Surrounded by typical forest trees of the Central Highlands, the house is far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Sitting in a corner of the “museum”, Mr. Thanh was absorbed in cleaning each piece of stone. Surrounding the old man were thousands of fossil specimens from snails, clams, mollusks to petrified wood from hundreds of millions of years ago. Mr. Thanh had a square face, hair that had turned gray in the afternoon and a strangely deep voice. Over a steaming cup of tea, he said he was born and raised in Quang Dien District (Thua Thien - Hue) but worked for a bridge and road company in Dak Lak.

During his days of traveling to the construction site, he discovered many soil and rock samples with strange shapes that resembled snail shells. However, due to his busy work, he only picked up a few samples to display at home. Everything was forgotten until his eldest son Thanh asked about those strangely shaped rocks. The question made him bewildered because he did not know how to answer.

From here, he began his journey to find answers to the hundreds of millions of years old stone slabs. In addition to looking for documents to explain to his children, he also collected ancient biological specimens to add to his collection. After a while, his house became a miniature museum with countless fossil specimens. His antiques seemed inanimate, but to him, they were associated with vivid, strange stories.

From these specimens, Mr. Thanh gradually became famous in the city. Leading professors also began to come to research and exchange. After hours of chatting with professors, researchers and from their documents, Mr. Thanh gradually understood his specimens. His child's questions had clear answers and at this time, the passion for science inside Mr. Thanh began to be ignited.