The incident occurred at Thai Hoa Palace at around 12 noon on May 24 - the time when the relic site was still open to visitors - when a person with signs of psychosis climbed to the exhibition area of the Nguyen Dynasty throne and damaged the artifact, shocking the public.
Although the subject was quickly controlled and the material losses could be remedied, the mental damage from the incident was not easy to erase.
Because the throne is not only an antique but it is a national symbol, a sacred memory that remains of an era that has passed but still lives in the national mind.
The question is why a person with unusual signs of psychosis can get through the protective layers, access and destroy a national treasure so easily?
In a statement later, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center said: "This is a very rare incident".
That is not wrong. Because an individual who violates the throne like this is unprecedented since the day of national reunification.
And in fact, the Thai Hoa Palace area often has two security guards on duty at the entrance. The throne area is fenced with wood, not allowing visitors to get close to...
In addition, the security force, with no hands, is also very unlikely to be able to do better in cases like this, especially in cases where the subject has weapons.
However, only seeing the problem as "exhausted" is not enough, because this incident shows that the protection work of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center is not organized strongly enough, passive and relies too much on the civilized awareness of tourists.
A national treasure is displayed to sell tickets to serve tourists, but is left open, without glass cages and protective warning fences, only relying on 2 guards and surveillance cameras, leading to anyone being able to easily access and damage being too subjective.
Another problem arising after this rare incident - not only for the Hue Monuments Conservation Center - is the need to upgrade the security team by equipping additional support tools such as electrical short circuit, or pepper spray to help quickly handle emergency situations, avoiding danger to artifacts.
In the immediate future, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center may establish a "Heritage Quick Response Team" in Hue, coordinating between the Conservation Center, police, and civil defense, ensuring 24/7 security of the relic.
In the long term, it is advisable that security teams at special relics such as the Hue Imperial City should be organized as a special security force, coordinating between the civil and armed police forces as some countries are doing very effectively.
The golden throne in Thai Hoa Palace was attacked, although it was "out of place", it also exposed a loophole in security work. The remaining problem is how the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and related units patch this loophole so as not to repeat similar incidents.
