Nghe An: From statue theft to "patching" loopholes in heritage relic protection management

After the recent incident of two hundred-year-old horse-stewarding statues at the national relic of Than Temple, Quynh Anh commune, Nghe An province being stolen and replaced with concrete statues, the issue of protecting antiquities at relics has become more urgent than ever.

To overcome management loopholes and prevent the ongoing illegal hunting and trading of antiques, Nghe An's cultural sector is simultaneously implementing many solutions.

Warning of theft of antiquities at relics

With a rich history and culture, Nghe An is home to hundreds of historical and cultural relics, from provincial to national level. However, in recent years, an alarming reality has been the fever of hunting and trading antiques, especially stone artifacts, which has caused many relics to fall into the sights of criminals.

This situation not only causes property loss but also destroys the originality, sacredness and historical value of the heritage.

The incident at Than Temple, Quynh Anh Commune - an important national relic - is the clearest warning.

The Temple of the Gods worships the spirit-responsing angel Moc Loi and the three founding ancestors who have contributed to protecting the country and its people. The temple has great historical, cultural, and aesthetic value. It is an ancient architectural work with many exquisitely carved stone artifacts such as statues of tigers, war horses, war elephants, and horse trainers.

Two ancient stone horse-keeping statues, which were intricately carved and were an integral part of the overall architecture, disappeared one after another between 2020 and the end of 2023.

These are artifacts dating back hundreds of years, depicting horsemen wearing martial arts uniforms, holding swords, ready to protect war horses, with unique historical and artistic value.

The Temple was ranked as a National Monument in 2013. (Source: Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television)

What was more worrying than the theft was the way the local authorities handled it at the time. Instead of reporting and coordinating with the relevant authorities to investigate and search, the local leaders hastily hired someone to cast a concrete statue to replace it.

This action not only seriously violates the Law on Cultural Heritage but also conceals the truth about the loss of antiquities, leading to a loss of control over records and heritage management.

It was not until a working group from the Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism inspected that the incident was exposed, revealing a long-standing management loophole.

Mr. Ho Manh Ha, Deputy Head of the Heritage Management Department - Nghe An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism , frankly commented: “Quynh Doi village is home to many historical relics and valuable antiquities, especially ancient stone statues. Meanwhile, in recent years, ancient stone objects have been very "hot", with some statues even being priced at billions of dong. Therefore, many relics have been stolen and it is necessary to strengthen the management of these antiquities.”

Thanks to information shared on social networks, Mr. HVT, currently living in Hanoi, a native of Quynh Anh, discovered and confirmed two lost statues at a collector's house in Hai Duong.

Both statues were found to be damaged. (Source: Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television)

Although the head of the relic was lost, the local people used their own money to redeem it, hired artisans to restore the head and returned it to the relic site.

Immediately, the Quynh Anh commune authorities deployed conservation work to ensure absolute safety for the newly restored antique.

Mr. Ho Anh Dung, Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Quynh Anh Commune, said: “Immediately after receiving the handover of the two stone statues after many years of theft, we hired experts to restore their original state; at the same time, we are firmly casting concrete pedestals under the statues, reinforcing the protective frame to prevent further theft.”

Protecting antiquities at relic sites

The theft of artifacts at the Temple of the Gods shows that protecting artifacts is not only an act of material restoration but also a warning bell about responsibility and connection between people and heritage.

However, if we rely only on individual generosity, conservation work will never be sustainable, requiring a synchronous and tight management system from the State level to the local community.

Mr. Ho Anh Dung, Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Quynh Anh Commune, said: “Not only at the Temple of the God, but also in Quynh Doi village, there are many historical relics possessing very valuable antiquities, especially ancient stone statues. Therefore, the locality has strengthened the management of these antiquities such as installing more security cameras as well as requiring stricter protection at the relics.”

Faced with that situation, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also issued many directives to strengthen management at museums and relics.

Most recently, in May 2025, the Department sent a document to the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns (old) on strengthening propaganda work and preventing illegal excavation and hunting of antiquities.

The document also stated: Recently, on social networking sites, some information has appeared about the illegal excavation and trading of antiquities taking place in some localities, seriously affecting cultural resources and heritage conservation work.

The statue of the horse keeper after its head was restored. (Source: Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television)

To promptly prevent and stop the above situation, the Department recommends that local authorities strengthen the management and protection of relics and archaeological sites in the area; widely propagate to the people about the meaning and value of cultural heritage, mobilize people not to participate in illegal trading and digging of relics and antiquities; People's Committees of communes, wards, and relic management boards regularly inspect and review the area, promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle acts of illegal digging, hunting, and trading of antiquities.

Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong, Head of the Relic Management Board of Nghe An province, said that every year, the Relic Management Board regularly checks, reviews, and counts the quantity and quality of existing antiquities in the area.

All antiques are listed and fully and accurately recorded with information about name, code, origin, age, material, and size to serve management and identification in case of theft.

According to Ms. Phuong, in the modern trend, preserving digital space is an essential solution, localities need to focus on digitizing artifacts to preserve and conserve them long-term.

Improving the national heritage data platform helps preserve cultural values sustainably and spread more widely, while creating a database for comparison in case of loss, preventing counterfeiting or swapping of antiquities.

In order to "patch" the management loophole to preserve heritage, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also strictly implements the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage on determining Protection Area 1 and Protection Area 2 of the relic, and placing boundary markers on the field with durable materials to create clear legal barriers.

For artifacts made of easily damaged materials such as stone or wood, strict adherence to scientific preservation procedures is required. In the case of outdoor display, the industry and local authorities also have plans to research and handle chemicals to prevent the artifacts from deteriorating and protect the relics from natural destruction.

Monument conservation must be carried out promptly and properly, avoiding delays or incorrect conservation methods that lead to "destruction" of monuments.

Mr. Ho Manh Ha, Deputy Head of the Heritage Management Department, affirmed: "The synchronous and drastic implementation of technical, legal and community solutions will be the key to preserving Nghe An's invaluable cultural resources. Only when responsibility is firmly attached, security is tightened and awareness is raised, can historical relics last forever, avoid the encroachment of criminals and promote their value in modern life."

Many localities also proposed to clearly define the responsibilities of each individual and organization (Management Board, commune government...) in protecting antiquities, and no longer "outsource" responsibility to the caretaker.

Along with that, local authorities and functional agencies (Police, Customs) promptly detect and strictly handle acts of illegal hunting, trading, and digging of antiquities according to the provisions of law./.

Warning of theft of antiquities at relics

Protecting antiquities at relic sites

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