A close look at Nguyen Dynasty’s gold imperial seal returned to Vietnam

The handover of the royal seal took place at the headquarters of the Embassy of Vietnam in Paris, France, on November 16, resulting from more than a year of negotiation and execution of related legal procedures by relevant parties of Vietnam and France.

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According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, the gold seal is 10.4 centimetres high, weighs 10.78 kilograms, and measures 13.8x13.7 cm.

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The treasure is an important cultural heritage symbolising political power during a period in Vietnamese history, marking the transition from monarchy to modern democracy in the Ho Chi Minh era.

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The seal was cast in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, who ruled from 1820 till his death in 1841.

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The Nguyen Dynasty, which ruled from 1802 to 1945, was the last monarchy in Vietnamese history. It crafted and put into use more than 100 seals, often cast in gold, silver, or precious jade. Currently, the National Museum of History is storing and preserving 85 precious jade seals of the Nguyen Dynasty.

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An imprint of the gold seal of the Nguyen Dynasty

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The seal is an extremely valuable historical and cultural heritage for Vietnam, says Nguyen The Hong, representative of the Nam Hong Museum, expressing hope that more and more precious artifacts will be repatriated to the fatherland in future.

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On October 19, 2022, French auction house Millon announced its auction of 329 antiquities, including two dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty, a golden seal made in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang, and a golden bowl made under the reign of King Khai Dinh who ruled from 1917 to 1925.

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After the confirmation of the authenticity of the seal, a Vietnamese inter-ministerial delegation and the auction house agreed to transfer them to the nation.

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On November 14 all sides agreed to carry out relevant legal processes and procedures for the repatriation of the seal back to Vietnam in accordance with the laws of both nations.

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Nam Hong Museum in the northern province of Bac Ninh has been chosen to carry out relevant financial procedures according to French law. A contract to purchase the seal valued at EUR6.1 million was signed in France on January 13.

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The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism asked the museum to preserve, display, and co-ordinate with the National Museum of History in protecting and promoting the value of heritage according to the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage.