Vietnam recognizes 24 more national treasures

They include a Ganesha statue made of sandstone, which is 95cm high and 48cm long. It was unearthed in 1903 at My Son relic of the neighboring province of Quang Nam by the French School of the Far East, and brought to the museum 15 years later.

The Ganesha (L) and Gajasimha statues, which were recently recognized as national treasures. Photo: TNO

It is one of the exceptional works that is relatively intact and boasts many unique features of the early Champa sculpture art dated back to the 7th and 8th centuries.

The second treasure is a sandstone statue of Gajasimha mythical animal measuring 215cm in height, 100cm in length and 84cm in width. It was discovered during an excavation at Thap Mam in Binh Dinh central province in 1933-34 and has been kept in the museum since 1935.

The art piece demonstrates the head of an elephant, the neck wearing a rattle, the chest hair stylized with the stripes often seen on the statues of the Thap Mam period. This sacred animal is a prominent and popular subject for many Champa sculptures during this period.

Also in the list are wood weaving kits of Phu Chanh, which are currently kept at the Museum of Binh Duong province; the Cong Vu lotus gold plate collection at the State Treasury of Hung Yen province; Kinh Hoa bronze drum in Hanoi; Reliefs of Goddess Sarasvati at Binh Dinh General Museum….

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, chairman of people’s committees of provinces holding national treasures, and heads of ministry-level agencies are required to manage national treasures in line with legal regulations on cultural heritages within their authority.