National Treasure (Vietnam)
A National Treasure or a national precious object is a tangible cultural heritage or object handed down from the past with historical, cultural or scientific value of exceptional significance to the country of Vietnam. National treasures are deemed to be protected and preserved according to a special scheme by the Vietnamese Government. The government also earmark an adequate proportion of the State budget to purchase national treasure as well as investment in activities of protecting and promoting the values of these objects. The title national treasure is recognised by a decision from the Vietnamese Prime Minister after obtaining evaluation opinions of the National Council for Cultural Heritages.
History
The term national treasure was first mentioned in various articles of the first Law on Cultural Heritage passed by the National Assembly of Vietnam on 29 June 2001. However, there was not a clear definition or a set of criteria for determining a national treasure. In 2009, the Amendment of Law on Cultural Heritage Act presented a separate article specifically for the subject "national treasure". According to the Law, a national treasure of Vietnam have to meet all these requirements:The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism specified the order of and procedures for recognising a national treasure, then the decision of granting the title national treasure comes from the Prime Minister of Vietnam with the consultation of National Council for Cultural Heritages. The first set of national treasure is officially designated in October 2012. Up until 2020, eight sets of national treasures had been designated in a series of decrees signed by the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam on behalf of Prime Minister. The different combination of treasures into sets only depends on the chronological order of nominations submitted by owners of the treasures, not related to the category or value of the treasures themselves. The quantities and designation dates of Vietnamese national treasures are:
- Set 1 30 national treasures
- Set 2 37 national treasures
- Set 3 12 national treasures
- Set 4 25 national treasures
- Set 5 14 national treasures
- Set 6 24 national treasures
- Set 7 22 national treasures
- Set 8 27 national treasures
Regulations
In 2016, under Decision No. 23/2016/QD-TTg, issued by the Prime Minister of Vietnam, items formally designated as national treasures can only be transported abroad under one of these circumstances:
- "To serve state-level diplomatic activities of the Party General Secretary, the President, the Prime Minister and the National Assembly Chairperson.
- "To promote the history, culture, land and people of Vietnam under special international cooperation programs.
- "To implement international cooperation plans on research and preservation of national treasures."
- "Getting insured by recipients of vestiges, antiques and national precious object
- "Obtaining the Prime Minister’s decisions permitting the bringing of national treasure abroad; or the Culture Minister’s decisions permitting the bringing of vestiges and antiques abroad."
List
Set 1
The first set of 30 national treasure was designated on 1 October 2012 by Decision No. 1426/QD-TTg signed by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.| No. | Name | Date/Period/Culture | Owner | Location | Photo |
| 1 | Ngoc Lu bronze drum | Dong Son culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 2 | Hoang Ha bronze drum | Dong Son culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 3 | Dao Thinh bronze jar | Dong Son culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 4 | The bronze statue of a piggybacking and panpipe-playing couple | Dong Son culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 5 | The bronze lamp shaped as a kneeling man | Dong Son culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 6 | Canh Thinh bronze drum | Tay Son dynasty | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 7 | Official bronze seal Môn hạ sảnh ấn | Tran dynasty | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 8 | Pottery jar with swan patterns | Le dynasty | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 9 | Revolutionary Road | Work of Ho Chi Minh | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 10 | Prison Diary | Work of Ho Chi Minh | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 11 | A draft of the Call on the whole nation to carry out the resistance war | Handwritten draft of Ho Chi Minh | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 12 | A draft of the Call on fellow citizens and soldier of whole nation | Handwritten draft of Ho Chi Minh on 17 July 1966 | Ho Chi Minh Museum | Hanoi | |
| 13 | President Ho Chi Minh's Testament | Original handwritten version 10 May 1965 - 19 May 1969 | Archive Department of Central Committee Party Office | Hanoi | |
| 14 | Dong Duong Buddhist statue | Champa culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 15 | Devi Goddess statue | Champa culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 16 | God Vishnu statue | Oc Eo culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 17 | Loi My Buddha Statue | Oc Eo culture 4th-6th century | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 18 | God Surya statue | Oc Eo culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 19 | Tara Bodhisattva statue | Champa culture late 9th to early 10th century | Museum of Cham Sculpture | Da Nang | |
| 20 | My Son E1 altar | Champa culture 7th century | Museum of Cham Sculpture | Da Nang | |
| 21 | Tra Kieu altar | Champa culture 7th-8th century | Museum of Cham Sculpture | Da Nang | |
| 22 | Amitabha Buddha Statue | Ly dynasty | Phat Tich Temple | Tiên Du District, Bac Ninh Province | |
| 23 | Statue of Quan Âm with thousand eyes and hands | c. 1656 Revival Lê dynasty | But Thap Temple | Thuận Thành District, Bac Ninh Province | |
| 24 | The set of nine holy bronze cannons | 1803-1804 Nguyen dynasty | Hue Monuments Conservation Centre | Imperial City of Huế, Hue | |
| 25 | The Nine Tripod Cauldrons | Nguyen dynasty | Hue Monuments Conservation Centre | Imperial City of Huế, Hue | |
| 26 | The 37mm anti-aircraft gun | Battle of Dien Bien Phu 1954 | Air Defence and Air Force Museum | Hanoi | |
| 27 | The MiG 21 F96 aircraft no. 5121 | Operation Linebacker II 1972 | Air Defence and Air Force Museum | Hanoi | |
| 28 | Ho Chi Minh Campaign notebook | Ho Chi Minh Campaign 1975 | Museum of Military Zone 7 | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 29 | The T-54 tank no. 843 | Liberation of Saigon 30 April 1975 | Vietnam Military History Museum | Hanoi | |
| 30 | The T-59 tank no. 390 | Liberation of Saigon 30 April 1975 | Museum of Tank Armour Force | Hanoi |
Set 2
The second set of 37 national treasures was designated on 30 December 2013 by Decision No. 1426/QD-TTg signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam.| No. | Name | Date/Period/Culture | Owner | Location | Photo |
| 1 | Hung Temple bronze drum | Dong Son culture | Hùng Temple | Viet Tri, Phu Tho Province | |
| 2 | Cam Giang I bronze drum | Dong Son culture | Thanh Hoa Provincial Museum | Thanh Hóa | |
| 3 | Viet Khe boat grave | Dong Son culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 4 | Hop Minh bronze jar | Dong Son culture | Yen Bai Provincial Museum | Yên Bái | |
| 5 | The copper belt buckle | Dong Son culture | Hùng Temple | Viet Tri, Phu Tho Province | |
| 6 | Nui Nua Short sword | Dong Son culture | Thanh Hoa Provincial Museum | Thanh Hóa | |
| 7 | Xa Loi Thap Minh stele | 601 Sui Dynasty | Bac Ninh Provincial Museum | Bắc Ninh | |
| 8 | Bao Ninh Sung Phuc temple stele | Ly dynasty | Bao Ninh Sung Phuc Buddhist temple | Chiêm Hóa District, Tuyen Quang Province | |
| 9 | Sùng Thiện Diên Linh stele 大 越 國 李 家 第 四 帝 崇 善 延 齡 塔 碑 | Ly dynasty | Long Doi Son Buddhist temple | Duy Tiên District, Tuyen Quang Province | |
| 10 | Sung Khanh temple stele | Tran dynasty | Sung Khanh Buddhist temple | Vị Xuyên District, Ha Giang Province | |
| 11 | Vinh Lang stele | Le dynasty | Lam Kinh historic site | Thọ Xuân District, Thanh Hoa Province | |
| 12 | The bell of Binh Lam Temple | Tran dynasty | Binh Lam Buddhist temple | Vị Xuyên District, Ha Giang Province | |
| 13 | The bell of Van Ban Temple | Tran dynasty | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 14 | The grand bell of Thien Mu Temple | Nguyễn lords era | Thien Mu Buddhist temple | Huế | |
| 15 | Stone Dragon | Ly dynasty | Lê Văn Thịnh Temple | Gia Bình District, Bac Ninh Province | |
| 16 | Amitabha Buddha Statue | Ly dynasty | Ngo Xa Buddhist Temple | Ý Yên District, Nam Dinh Province | |
| 17 | Quan Âm of Hoi Ha pagoda statue | Le dynasty | Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts | Hanoi | |
| 18 | Three statues of Buddhas in the three times | Le dynasty | Linh Ung Buddhist temple | Thuận Thành District, Bac Ninh Province | |
| 19 | Statue of Queen Trịnh Thị Ngọc Trúc | Revival Lê dynasty | Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts | Hanoi | |
| 20 | Set of ceramic lamp base and incense burner | Mac dynasty | Nam Dinh Provincial Museum | Nam Định | |
| 21 | Bronze cauldron | Revival Lê dynasty | Thanh Hoa Provincial Museum | Thanh Hóa | |
| 22 | Three Cannons Bảo quốc an dân đại tướng quân | Nguyen dynasty | Ha Tinh Provincial Museum | Hà Tĩnh | |
| 23 | Vo Canh stele | Champa culture | National Museum of Vietnamese History | Hanoi | |
| 24 | Statue of Avalokitesvara Hoài Nhơn | Champa culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 25 | Statue of Avalokitesvara Đại Hữu | Champa culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 26 | Animal figure of Dốc Chùa | Đồng Nai culture | Binh Duong Provincial Museum | Thủ Dầu Một | |
| 27 | Buddha statue of Bình Hòa | Óc Eo Culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 28 | Buddha statue of Sa Đéc | Óc Eo Culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 29 | Vishnu statue | Óc Eo Culture | Dong Thap Provincial Museum | Cao Lãnh | |
| 30 | Vishnu statue | Óc Eo Culture | Long An Provincial Museum | Tân An | |
| 31 | Durga Goddess statue | Óc Eo Culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 32 | Avalokitesvara statue | Óc Eo Culture | Museum of Vietnamese History | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 33 | Collection of golden artifacts | Óc Eo Culture | Long An Provincial Museum | Tân An | |
| 34 | Vườn Xuân Trung Nam Bắc Painting "Spring garden of Central-South-North " | 1969-1989 Artist Nguyễn Gia Trí | Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts | Ho Chi Minh City | |
| 35 | Hai thiếu nữ và em bé Painting "Two young girls and a kid" | 1944 Artist Tô Ngọc Vân | Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts | Hanoi | |
| 36 | Em Thúy Painting "Little Thúy" | 1943 Artist Trần Văn Cẩn | Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts | Hanoi | |
| 37 | Kết nạp Đảng ở Điện Biên Phủ Painting "Granting Party membership in Dien Bien Phu" | 1956 Artist Nguyễn Sáng | Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts | Hanoi |
Set 3
The third set of 12 national treasure was designated on 14 January 2015 by Decision No. 53/QD-TTg signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.| No. | Name | Date/Period/Culture | Owner | Location | Photo |
| 1 | Huu Chung bronze drum | Dong Son culture | Hai Duong Provincial Museum | Hải Dương | |
| 2 | Thanh Mai bronze bell | 798 Tang dynasty | Ha Noi City Museum | Hanoi | |
| 3 | Stone stele records of imperial examinations of the Lê and Mạc dynasties | 1484-1780 | Văn Miếu | Hanoi | |
| 4 | Khôn Nguyên Chí Đức Chi Bi stele 坤元至德之碑 | 1498 | Lam Kinh historic site | Thọ Xuân District, Thanh Hoa Province | |
| 5 | Thủy Môn Đình stele 體存碑記 | 1670 | Lang Son Provincial Museum | Lạng Sơn | |
| 6 | Statue of Quan Âm with thousand eyes and hands | 16th century | Dao Xuyen Buddhist Temple | Gia Lâm District, Hanoi | |
| 7 | Set of Amitābha, Mahāsthāmaprāpta and Avalokiteśvara statues 阿彌陀三尊 | 17th century | Thay Buddhist temple | Quốc Oai District, Hanoi | |
| 8 | Collection of Buddhist statues at Tay Phuong temple | Tay Son dynasty | Tay Phuong Buddhist temple | Thạch Thất District, Hanoi | |
| 9 | Ekamukhalinga/Linga with Shiva head | 8th century | My Son sacred site | Duy Xuyên District, Quang Nam Province | |
| 10 | Stone Stairway Railing | 12th century | Nam Dinh Provincial Museum | Nam Dinh | |
| 11 | The MiG-21 aircraft no. 4324 | Operation Rolling Thunder 1965-1968 | Vietnam Military History Museum | Hanoi | |
| 12 | Ho Chi Minh Campaign Determination Map | Ho Chi Minh Campaign 1975 | Nam Dinh Provincial Museum | Vietnam Military History Museum | Hanoi |