The recent repatriation of Vietnamese antiquities is the result of long-standing cooperation and information exchange between Vietnam and relevant foreign countries, especially the United States. The repatriation of antiquities is carried out in compliance with international treaties, including the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The repatriation of the bronze statue of the Goddess Durga is a typical example.
In August 2023, the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK informed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) about the Ministry of Justice and the US Department of Homeland Security in coordination with the London Metropolitan Police had confiscated a bronze statue of the Goddess Durga of Vietnamese origin from an illegal antiquities trade and proposed the possibility of returning the antique to Vietnam. Immediately after receiving the information, the MOCST directed relevant agencies and institutions to research, compare documents and determine information about the bronze statue as well as propose a plan to receive this statue.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage, the MOCST has issued a decision to receive the statue from international agencies and assign the Vietnam National Museum of History (VNMH) to directly carry out the reception, transportation, storage and preservation.
At the same time, the MOCST also sent an official dispatch to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK confirming that the bronze statue of Goddess Durga belongs to Vietnam and authorizing the Embassy to receive antiques from the representatives of the US Department of Homeland Security and the London Metropolitan Police.
On September 13, 2023, representatives of the US Department of Homeland Security and the London Metropolitan Police coordinated with the appropriate authorities to hand over the bronze statue of the Goddess Durga to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK. The handover ceremony took place at Constantine Company, London, UK, where the statue was kept after being confiscated on July 17, 2023.
In January 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent a delegation of Vietnamese experts to the UK to coordinate with the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, the London Metropolitan Police, and Constantine Company to assess the condition of the bronze statue, determine the origin, prepare handover procedures, supervise the packaging and plan to transport the statue to Vietnam. In addition, the Vietnamese experts also collected relevant documents to serve the purpose of research and promoting the value of antiques.
After completing the export license application procedures as well as customs procedures, on February 21, 2024, the statue was transported from the UK to Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi, Vietnam).
Thanks to the enthusiastic support of relevant agencies of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Finance; Vietnam Airlines Corporation; Noi Bai Cargo Terminal Services Joint Stock Company, Constantine Company as well as the efforts of the Vietnam National Museum of History and sponsors, on June 18, 2024, the bronze statue of the Goddess Durga was safely transported to the storage of the VNMH.
On June 24, 2024, the VNMH established an Appraisal Council consisting of experts in the fields of history, archaeology, culture, art and antiquities to evaluate and determine issues related to the bronze statue, and at the same time, take samples to analyze the alloy composition. The Council determined that the big four-armed Goddess Durga statue (191cm in length and 101kg in weight) dating from the 7th century and is still relatively intact. The statue is of Vietnamese origin, representing Champa sculptural art. However, information about the specific location where the Goddess Durga statue was discovered needs further research.
Up to now, this is the largest and typical bronze statue of Champa cultural art. It has great value in culture and fine arts of Vietnam through historical periods. The precious statue is being kept and preserved in the special conditions at VNMH’s storage.
After the repatriation ceremony, the bronze statue of the Goddess Durga will be fully legally documented, preserved and further researched for to be exhibited and presented to the public.
The VNMH would like to thank the press agencies for their interest in reporting this event!
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