Nguyen Dynasty throne destroyed: Loopholes in relic protection work

The incident of a person sitting on the Nguyen Dynasty throne at Thai Hoa Palace, Hue Imperial City and destroying national treasures is a rare and serious incident. Public opinion has raised big questions about the work of protecting relics, especially national treasures. Hue City leaders have directly surveyed and directed urgent and long-term solutions to tighten security.

At Thai Hoa Palace, Hue Imperial City, immediately after the incident of the Nguyen Dynasty throne being damaged by a tourist, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center brought the throne back to the storage, kept at the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum, and temporarily replaced it with a restored version to serve visitors. However, many people were very upset by the act of vandalism of an artifact of great cultural and historical value.

Ms. Ha Thi Thuy Dung, a tourist from Phu Tho province, suggested: “Today, our group came here to visit and also heard the story that the day before, someone came here to destroy the king's throne. I think this needs to be protected more strictly because it is spiritual, cultural and will be passed down to future generations. That is a very great value.”

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh (2nd from left), Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Committee, inspected Thai Hoa Palace, Hue Imperial City.

Currently, Hue city has 14 artifacts/sets of artifacts corresponding to 40 individual artifacts recognized as national treasures. Particularly at the Complex of Hue Monuments, there are 12 sets of artifacts with 38 individual artifacts displayed in many locations, including Thai Hoa Palace, where the Nguyen Dynasty Throne was located.

The throne at Thai Hoa Palace is temporarily replaced by a restored version to serve visitors.

The Nguyen Dynasty throne is an original artifact crafted under King Gia Long and used continuously for 13 Nguyen Dynasty kings, lasting 143 years. The throne is made of wood, lacquered with gold, and intricately carved with dragons. In 1923, the royal court ordered a gold-plated wooden canopy to be added to cover the throne, in preparation for the 40th anniversary of King Khai Dinh. In 2015, this artifact was recognized as a national treasure.

Mr. Ngo Van Minh, Director of the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum, said that he will find solutions to protect national treasures more closely: "In the coming time, the Museum, together with the Center, will survey and evaluate all artifacts recognized as national treasures that are currently displayed at relic sites to have appropriate protection plans."

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh inspects national treasures at the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum

To prevent similar incidents, in the coming time, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center will develop a plan to ensure strict security and safety in the heritage site in general and for artifacts, antiquities, etc., especially national treasures. In particular, the Center focuses on solutions to strengthen security equipment, support tools, etc.

Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, pledged to have a plan to increase forces and means to ensure the safety of the system of artifacts displayed at the current relics: “After the incident, we immediately implemented a number of urgent solutions. We also rebuilt a very strict process, then a process for handling incidents, situations, and technological solutions. Thai Hoa Palace has a camera surveillance system, an intrusion alarm system, but we need something more fundamental and strict to absolutely ensure the artifacts and antiques in general.”

Tourists visit Thai Hoa Palace, Hue Imperial City

At the meeting with the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and the Department of Culture and Sports on May 26, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Hue City People's Committee, requested the Hue Monuments Conservation Center to report and review, clarify individual and collective responsibilities, clearly state the shortcomings in facilities, human resources and lessons learned in handling the incident. The Hue City People's Committee assigned the Department of Culture and Sports to preside over and coordinate to seek opinions from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, advise the City People's Committee to establish a Council to appraise and evaluate the technical condition of the Nguyen Dynasty Throne, and propose a plan for preservation and restoration according to regulations.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh also noted the need for fundamental, long-term solutions to improve the effectiveness of heritage conservation: “We request organizations and individuals to conduct reviews, count, and take responsibility of each individual and organization, provide lessons learned, and develop plans to better protect the artifacts, relics, and heritage that Hue city currently has. In addition, the responsibility is also assigned to the Hue Monuments Conservation Center to coordinate with the Department of Culture and Sports to develop plans to protect in accordance with regulations and laws the relics and heritage, especially the national artifacts that Hue city currently has.”

National treasures on display at Hue Royal Antiquities Museum

Regarding this, the Government Office has issued a document conveying the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh requesting the People's Committee of Hue City to urgently direct the inspection and assessment of the technical status of the national treasure "Nguyen Dynasty Throne", propose solutions for preservation and restoration in accordance with the provisions of law. The Deputy Prime Minister requested to organize a review, draw lessons and handle the responsibilities of relevant individuals and organizations, to prevent similar cases from happening; send a report to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for synthesis and reporting to the Prime Minister before June 1, 2025.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also directed a general review and assessment of the display, preservation, protection and measures to ensure the security and safety of national treasures nationwide; promptly strengthen measures to ensure absolute safety of recognized national treasures and valuable artifacts and antiques at relics and scenic spots in accordance with the provisions of law; report to the Prime Minister on the implementation results before June 15, 2025.

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/ngai-vua-trieu-nguyen-bi-pha-hong-lo-hong-trong-cong-toc-bao-ve-di-tich-3181414.html