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| Dr. Amandine Dabat, the 5th descendant of Emperor Ham Nghi, donated a mother-of-pearl-inlaid wooden tray to Hue Monuments Conservation Center |
Many antiquities remain overseas
Notably, 17 of the 32 artifacts were donated by descendants of the emperors and members of the royal family who are now living overseas. Four artifacts were donated by foreigners, while two were donated by overseas Vietnamese. Three artifacts were purchased by individuals in Vietnam and then donated, while another three were donated by auction houses. Two other artifacts were brought back through diplomatic negotiations.
A rickshaw belonging to Empress Dowager Tu Minh was the first and remains the only case in which Hue Monuments Conservation Center used the budget to participate in an auction abroad.
To bring the artifact back to Hue, Thua Thien Hue Province at the time received support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Vietnamese Embassy in France; the Department of External Relations and Cultural Diplomacy; and UNESCO. Vietnam Airlines provided international transportation, while Bao Viet Thua Thien Hue provided insurance. Funding also came from contributions by overseas Vietnamese, and organizations and individuals in Vietnam.
Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, said the case showed that using the budget to purchase antiquities overseas was not easy.
The antiquities of the Nguyen Dynasty remaining overseas are the result of many historical upheavals. According to Mr. Tran Duc Anh Son, a researcher, a large number of royal court antiquities of the Nguyen Dynasty were taken abroad following the fall of the Imperial Capital in 1885. Others were taken overseas by members of the royal family when they moved abroad to live.
Among them is the Thai A sword, currently displayed at the French Army Museum in Paris. According to the researchers Dominique Rolland and Vo Quang Yen, it was the sword of Emperor Gia Long. It was once displayed in the Imperial Citadel, and was taken out of Hue after 1885.
A gold hand-washing basin also appeared in an exhibition held by Roger Keverne, an antiquities dealer, in London in 2008. It was used by the emperor to wash his hands before major ceremonies at the Nguyen Dynasty’s ancestral temples.
Other antiquities include a gold book from the reign of Emperor Gia Long, a silver-and-gilt book from the reign of Emperor Thieu Tri, a set of gold branches and jade leaves displayed in a phap lam pot,… and a gold giai trai statue from the reign of Emperor Minh Mang, identified as the only known gold mythical-creature statue of the Nguyen Dynasty that was once offered at an auction in France.
More mechanisms, more ways home
Mr. Ngo Van Minh, Director of Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, said that the 32 repatriated artifacts are currently kept and preserved by the museum in accordance with regulations. Most of them have been put on display in themed exhibitions, including a pair of ivory tusks, the bonnet of a high-ranking mandarin, and the Nhat Binh gown of a concubine in the Nguyen Dynasty…
“Funding is a major obstacle for public museums seeking to participate in antiquity auctions abroad. Collectors often obtain information about the auctions quite early, and prepare their resources in advance, while we sometimes receive the information later,” said Mr. Minh.
He said that the repatriating antiquities requires coordination among cultural and diplomatic agencies and relevant organizations, particularly in obtaining information and connecting with owners.
Mr. Hoang Viet Trung said three approaches could be pursued, including: appealing for donations, negotiating directly with owners, and mobilizing social resources to purchase valuable artifacts.
Recently, a delegation from the Department of Cultural Heritage, led by Deputy Director Pham Dinh Phong, worked with Hue Monuments Conservation Center and conducted a field survey to support the development of a project titled ‘Bringing Vietnam’s outstanding artworks and cultural heritage meeting the criteria for national treasures, as well as rare and valuable antiquities, back to the country’.
At the working session with the delegation, Hue Monuments Conservation Center proposed completing mechanisms, policies, and resources for the repatriation of antiquities.
According to Hue Monuments Conservation Center, the draft National Assembly resolution on the development of Vietnamese culture proposes a 100% exemption from import duties and customs fees, as well as value-added tax, for outstanding artworks, national treasures, and rare and valuable antiquities purchased at overseas auctions and brought back to Vietnam for non-profit exhibition purposes. If approved, this would be one of the mechanisms providing direct support for the repatriation of antiquities.
Mr. Hoang Viet Trung said that once the legal framework becomes clearer, relevant authorities could organize official donation campaigns, provide information about antiquities, and connect with the owners and individuals capable of providing financial support.
“Some people are willing, but do not know whom to contact. Others may not yet have sufficient confidence when handing over artifacts, and may still be concerned about whether donated artifacts will be properly preserved and their values will be promoted,” said Mr. Trung.
The fact that 32 artifacts have been brought back to Hue shows that not every antiquity needs to be purchased with the budget. With appropriate mechanisms and the participation of social resources, there will be more feasible options for bringing valuable artifacts back to Vietnam.