Comedy icon Xuan Hinh, who built the museum, on Nov. 3 shared photos showing Nhi touring the complex, dressed casually with minimal makeup.

Nguyen Phuong Nhi (L) poses for photos with artist Xuan Hinh (C) at a 5,000-square-meter museum dedicated to Dao Mau (Mother Goddess Worship) in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Xuan Hinh

Hinh guided her through the gardens, altar rooms dedicated to the goddesses, and a sacred shrine.

The museum stands within a 50-year-old orchard and is encircled by a 20-year-old wall covered by creeping fig trees. The architects and construction team had built walls around the trees to preserve the natural surroundings as much as possible.

To set up the museum, Hinh spent 5 years to collect more than 6 million pieces of genuine historical bricks and tiles from around 500 households across Vietnam.

In 2023, the museum was ranked among the top 14 best projects of the year by Italy's renowned architecture and design magazine Domus.

A part of Xuan Hinh's Dao Mau Museum dedicated to mother goddess worship in Hanoi. Photo courtesy of Xuan Hinh

Dao Mau, a Vietnamese folk religion venerating the mother goddesses, has been an integral part of Hinh's life. Over the years, he has been invited to perform at many Dao Mau rituals and festivals. Its rituals include ceremonies like "len dong" (trance ceremony), singing and festivals.

In 2016, the traditional worshiping of the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

Nhi got married to Pham Nhat Minh Hoang, a businessman and second son of Vuong, chairman of Vietnam's largest listed company Vingroup in January.

Vuong is the richest person in Southeast Asia with a fortune of US$37.2 billion, according to data by Forbes.