Culture - Sports

Vietnam receives historic artefacts from US

A ceremony was held at the Vietnam National Museum of History on November 18 to receive ten artefacts, the earliest dating back to the Dong Son culture (BC 1,000 – AD 1st century), returned by the US. ​
Vietnam receives historic artefacts from US ảnh 1At the handover ceremony (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A ceremony was held at the VietnamNational Museum of History on November 18 to receive ten artefacts, theearliest dating back to the Dong Son culture (BC 1,000 – AD 1st century),returned by the US.

The artefacts include a stone axe of the Post Neolithic Era (BC4,500-3,500), three bronze axes and one ceramic saucepan of Dong Son culture;three stone crocodile sculptures of AD 1st – 2nd century and two bronze pipesfrom the 17th-18th century.

They were rediscovered in the US nearly ten years ago. In 2013, the FBI foundthat Donald Miller, an amateur archaeologist in Indiana, illegally possessedmany artefacts from around the world.

In 2014, the FBI seized over 7,000 objects from him, who then rejected hisright to the objects and cooperated with the FBI to return them to their legalowners.

In 2019, the FBI called on foreign governments to contact them and to sendexperts to examine the artefacts.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the US informed the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism that the FBI proposed returning some artefacts confirmed to be ofVietnamese origin. In mid-2022, the ministry sent a letter to the embassyexpressing the willingness to receive all the artefacts.
Vietnam receives historic artefacts from US ảnh 2The artefacts include a stone axe of the Post Neolithic Era (BC 4,500-3,500), three bronze axes and one ceramic saucepan of Dong Son culture; three stone crocodile sculptures of AD 1st – 2nd century and two bronze pipes from the 17th-18th century. (Photo: VNA)
In August, the Vietnamese embassy received the artefacts from the FBI. Twomonths later, the artefacts were sent to Vietnam and transferred to the museum,where experts examined them once more.

Addressing the ceremony, Pamnella DeVolder, PublicAffairs Counselor at the US Mission to Vietnam, stressed that the US governmentis poised to support Vietnam in the investigation, research, reclamation andreturn of illegally-traded antiquities to their rightful countries.

"This has been demonstrated through a Memorandum of Understanding onprevention and control of trans-national crimes, which was signed by the VietnamMinistry of Public Security and the FBI," she said.

To date, the US government has provided more than 1.25 million USDin funding for the preservation of Vietnamese cultural artefacts, spanning 16projects across the length and breadth of the country, she said./.
VNA
# Vietnam National Museum of History#Dong Son culture#artefacts#FBI#Vietnam#VietnamPlus#Vietnam news
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