Ha Giang – The Nguyen Dynasty’s golden imperial seal, known as ‘Hoang de chi bao’ (Treasure of the Emperor), has been officially returned to Vietnam in a ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy in France on November 16.
According to Vietnam News Agency, Sports and Tourism (MCST). This return marks a significant cultural milestone for Vietnam. The handover ceremony was attended by high-profile officials, including Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van, and officials from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and UNESCO. This event culminated more than a year of negotiations and legal procedures to stop the open auction of the seal in Paris, initially cast in 1823 during King Minh Mang’s reign.
Hoang Gia Nam Hong Co. Ltd, located in Bac Ninh province, was designated to represent Vietnam in handling the necessary financial procedures in compliance with French law. The company is also responsible for the preservation and display of the seal, collaborating with the Vietnam National Museum of History to safeguard and promote the artifact’s historical value.
An agreement signed on November 12, 2022, between the Department of Cultural Heritage and Nam Hong company detailed the purchase of the seal from France and its transfer to the Vietnamese State. The company has committed to transferring the seal to the State through the MCST after a period when it no longer requires possession for display and value promotion at the Hoang Gia Nam Hong Museum in Bac Ninh.
The ‘Hoang de chi bao’ seal is a vital cultural heritage, symbolizing political power during a key period in Vietnam’s history and marking the transition from monarchy to the people’s democracy in the Ho Chi Minh era. The repatriation of the golden seal represents efforts to complete collections of antiquities and cultural heritage elements taken abroad illegally. It also reaffirms Vietnam’s stature and influence, aligns with the Party and State’s policies on preserving and promoting cultural heritage, and contributes to world cultural heritage.
This successful repatriation reflects cooperation from various authorities, partners, friends, and the Vietnamese community in France. Looking forward, the Department of Cultural Heritage plans to propose to MCST leaders the coordination with relevant ministries and sectors to compile a list of Vietnamese antiquities taken abroad illegally and consult with the UNESCO Secretariat of the 1970 Convention for repatriation strategies.