Vietnam Recovers Precious Nguyen Dynasty Seal

via various sources, 18 November 2023: A golden seal from the Nguyen Dynasty, titled “Treasure of the Emperor,” was officially handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony in the Vietnamese Embassy in France. This follows over a year of negotiations to prevent its auction and ensure its repatriation. The seal, dating back to King Minh Mang’s reign in 1823, will be temporarily held by Hoang Gia Nam Hong Co. Ltd in Bac Ninh, with plans to transfer it to the government later. The seal, a significant symbol of Vietnam’s political history, will be preserved and displayed in collaboration with the Vietnam National Museum of History.

A Nguyen Dynasty’s golden seal of “Hoang de chi bao” (Treasure of the Emperor) was handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony held at the Vietnamese Embassy in France on Nov. 16.

The handover took place in the presence of 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 of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and UNESCO, said the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This came as a result of more than one year of negotiation and implementation of legal procedures on halting the open auction of the seal, cast in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang, in Paris in November 2022, and handing over the object to Vietnam at the country’s request.

Source: Golden imperial seal handed over to Vietnam from France – VnExpress International