The Law of Cultural Patrimony urges the collectors to register their ancient objects, which alarms many people who think that their right of property would be injured. This is a misunderstanding of the Law, while the state has acknowledged the right of property of privates over their ancient objects, which is stated in previous articles of the Law.
The Law of Cultural Patrimony urges the collectors to register their ancient objects, which alarms many people who think that their right of property would be injured. This is a misunderstanding of the Law, while the state has acknowledged the right of property of privates over their ancient objects, which is stated in previous articles of the Law.
Collectors are wondering what they obtain after registering. They obtain much, but that is not visible.
- The law acknowledges the legal character of your collection, especially at the present time when we are building a state of right, when we are entering in a time of opening and integration, when we are becoming member of WTO.
- It is scientifically acknowledged that your collection has an identity. It is extremely important, increasing by many times the value of the collection. Many collectors in the world have spent a lot of money to pay specialists for their certifying one or two criteria only, the age and the origine of the collection, and only after that, the insurance companies agrees to insure the collection to its value. A clear identity, with detailed informations, has permitted to an ancient object of an ordinary appearance to be bought at the price of 2.8 millions USD, when the buyer possessed the identity of the object, certifying that Emperor Can Long has contemplated this object three times in his life. The registering, with a certificate from an organisation or an individual having authority among scientific sphere, increases the value of the collection. That is why many collectors seek for a signature on their ancient objects by a contract worth a heritage. In Vietnam, it is more necessary than ever to certify the identity of each ancient object, of each collection since, to my knowledge, no object comes from an heritage.
- In the lifetime of Emperor Bao Dai, he has brought a lawsuit against a french auction company for selling ancient objects belonging to the court of Nguyên. The lawsuit drags along, but legal prooves are missing, though the Ministry of Culture has helped as it can. If the concerned ancient objects had identities certifying their appartenance to the court of Nguyên, Emperor Bao Dai would win his lawsuit because these objects are in fact objects of usage of the court of Nguyên which for some reason are strayed in France. One cannot foretell the bad things that may happen to an ancient object.
- The registering of ancient objects permits to distinguish ordinary ancient objects from precious state objects… In China, Corea, Japan, ancient objects and precious state objects are quite different categories. State objects enjoy state protection, which is not the case of ordinary ancient objects. In France, precious state objects receive annually maintenance subventions. In Vietnam also, we must classify ancient objects, and I am sure that few people are aware of the value of ancient objects in their possession. One can mistake mouldy wood for incense, especially when the criteria are not clearly determined by discussions.
The registering of ancient objects have its advantages which one may think are invisible, immaterial, but which are in fact material values in the future if the collectors know what to do since now.
Pham Quoc Quan