Hue throne temporarily leaves Thai Hoa Palace for safekeeping during restoration

The throne - a national treasure in the central position of Thai Hoa Palace. (Source: VNA)

In the coming time, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center will coordinate with experts and artisans to evaluate and propose appropriate restoration plans; at the same time, increase the force and means to protect the artifacts. This is a rare event, the first time it has happened to the throne located at Thai Hoa Palace - the most important construction in Hue Imperial City.

According to the Hue City People's Committee Office, at around 11:55 a.m. on May 24, Ho Van Phuong Tam (born in 1983, residing in Huong Long ward, Phu Xuan district, Hue city) bought an entrance ticket to the Hue Imperial City.

Through camera extraction and initial investigation by the authorities, at the time of the incident, two security guards, Dang Quang Long and Dao Hoang Vu, were both present in the Thai Hoa Palace area. When entering the Thai Hoa Palace area, Ho Van Phuong Tam showed unusual behavior, a security guard invited him to go to the back of the palace. However, the subject then returned, sneaked into the Nguyen Dynasty throne display area, shouted and then broke the front left armrest.

To prevent the subject from acting rashly and destroying other exhibits, security guards approached from a distance, reminded the subject to go outside, and called to request additional support. At around 12:10 p.m., the authorities subdued Tam and reported to Dong Ba Ward Police to make an arrest report.

According to the police, it is not yet possible to record Tam's statement because he is showing signs of psychosis, screaming, talking nonsense and cannot answer the investigator's questions.

Currently, the City Police Investigation Agency is conducting a psychiatric assessment of Ho Van Phuong Tam and coordinating with the People's Procuracy of Phu Xuan District to collect evidence to clarify the roles and responsibilities of the relevant parties in order to resolve the case in accordance with the procedures and regulations of the law.

Ho Van Phuong Tam was born in Hue city, but in 1990, Tam followed his family to live in Ho Chi Minh City. Around mid-May 2025, Ho Van Phuong Tam returned to Hue and lived at a relative's house in Huong Long ward, but was chased away and became a vagrant. Previously, in July 2023, Ho Van Phuong Tam was administratively punished by the People's Court of Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City, under Decision No. 108/2023/QD-TA, and was sent to a compulsory drug rehabilitation facility.

According to the Office of the Hue City People's Committee, this is an extremely rare incident, although in the past, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center has had many solutions to ensure security in the heritage site such as increasing the installation of surveillance cameras, developing regulations on assigning security guards, having a mobile unit regularly inspecting the relic sites... To prevent similar incidents, in the coming time, the Center will develop a plan to ensure strict security and safety in the heritage site in general and for artifacts, antiques..., especially national treasures.

Thai Hoa Palace is the most important palace in the Hue Imperial City, where the king sits on the throne, holds court meetings, important ceremonies and rituals, marking the ups and downs of the 13 Nguyen Dynasty Emperors. The throne is located in the center of Thai Hoa Palace and was recognized as a National Treasure of Vietnam in 2015.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ngai-vang-hue-tam-roi-dien-thai-hoa-de-bao-quan-an-toan-trong-thoi-gian-trung-tu-315430.html