HCMC – The council of Nguyen Phuc’s royal family in Vietnam, a descendant of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945), has written to auction house Millon in France requesting it to cease the auction of a gold seal, also known as the Bao Dai Emperor’s Treasury, and the gold bowl of the Khai Dinh Emperor.
On October 27, the council of Nguyen Phuc’s royal family in Vietnam sent a written request to Jean Gauchet, assessor of the Millon auction house, asking for a cancellation of the auction of the above antiques, expected to take place on October 31.
In the written request, the council affirmed that Vietnam, a signatory to UNESCO’s convention in 1970, had sufficient legal capacity to fight against the trading of cultural artifacts since 2005.
Besides, the gold seal is a national treasure passed down from generation to generation under the Nguyen Dynasty for 200 years; therefore, it cannot be auctioned as an item without cultural and historical value.
The request asserted Emperor Bao Dai might have enough wisdom to understand that he was not eligible to transfer the gold seal. However, the auction organizer presented the inheritance certificate certified by the notary public.
“We are researching the legal rights and how the last emperor of Vietnam had transferred the inheritance right as the gold seal and bowl are national treasures,” said the council of Nguyen Phuc’s royal family in the request.
Millon is scheduled to auction the above two antiques at 11 a.m. on October 31, 2022 (Paris time). The starting price of the gold seal under the reign of Emperor Minh Mang will be around EUR 2-3 million, equal to VND48-72 billion.
