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Return of the Golden Seal of Minh Mang Dynasty to Viet Nam
One year after the Golden Seal of Minh Mang Dynasty, Emperor’s Treasure, appeared in public, on November 18th 2023 (local time), it has arrived in its home country, Viet Nam. The return of the Golden Seal has been possible thanks to the concerted efforts of the Governments of Viet Nam and France with the proactive participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture of the two countries, as well as the Viet Nam Embassy in France and the Permanent Delegation of Viet Nam to UNESCO. The Secretariat of the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property supported the first steps of returning this cultural property.
The efforts of returning the Golden Seal to its home country shows the strong commitment of the State Parties to the protection of cultural property.
Apart from its historical, cultural, and artistic values, the Emperor's Treasure golden seal is a cultural property of utmost importance to the nation, a symbol of political power during a period of time. It also imprints a certain story in the Viet Nam's historical progress, marking an important milestone for the transition from more than a thousand years of monarchy to the democracy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
