Receiving 2 Ao Dai of the last Queen Mother of Nguyen Dynasty

(PLVN) - The Hue Monuments Conservation Center has just received two ao dai of Lady Duc Tu Cung - the mother of King Bao Dai, the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty. The artifacts were transferred from the United States to Vietnam.

The two ao dai were donated by Ms. Cong Ton Nu Kim Chi. She is the daughter of Mr. Ung Le, the granddaughter of An Phuoc Quan Vuong Hong Kien, a member of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family. Ms. Kim Chi lives in the US and has authorized Mr. Pham Xuan Cuong (grandson of Mr. Buu Di, a close relative of the Nguyen Dynasty royal family) to represent her in donating the artifacts to the Center.

In the minutes confirming the origin of the two shirts of Duc Tu Cung, Mrs. Cong Ton Nu Kim Chi, informed: In the 1960s, Duc Tu Cung gave her two shirts to Mrs. Kim Chi's adopted sister (a Vietnamese woman of French origin) as a souvenir. In 1963, this person returned to France and brought the two shirts with her. In 1995, she gave the two above-mentioned artifacts back to Mrs. Kim Chi - who was living in the US at that time.

Two Ao Dai relics returned to Hue to be preserved as part of the Nguyen Dynasty's heritage.

With a sentimental return to her roots, she expressed her wish that these relics would be returned to Hue - the hometown of the Empress Dowager to be preserved as part of the Nguyen Dynasty's heritage. Among them, one red silk ao dai, with patterns and sleeves tied in the royal style, is still quite intact. The other ao dai is made of woven silk with gold thread, now all the buttons are missing and rotten in some places.

At the reception ceremony, Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, expressed his respect for the gesture of Mrs. Cong Ton Nu Kim Chi and Mr. Pham Xuan Cuong. The two dresses of Queen Mother Tu Cung are relics of special historical and cultural value, not only reflecting the style of royal costumes of the Nguyen Dynasty but also being evidence of personal elements, closely associated with the life of a historical figure.

Hue Monuments Conservation Center commits to receiving, preserving and promoting the value of artifacts in accordance with its functions and legal regulations.

After receiving, the two Ao Dai artifacts were displayed at the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum, which is preserving more than 11,000 Nguyen Dynasty artifacts.

Thuy Nhung

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/tiep-nhan-2-chiec-ao-dai-cua-hoang-thai-hau-cuoi-cung-trieu-nguyen-post549068.html