But behind that return is a costly lesson that heritage conservation work must not forget.
The Nguyen Dynasty throne is a national treasure, a symbol of power of the last feudal dynasty in Vietnamese history, and also an important part of the world cultural heritage complex in Hue.
However, such a special historical and cultural artifact was once violated right in the display area.
The incident that occurred in May 2025 not only damaged the throne, but also raised concerns about protecting historical and cultural artifacts.
The damaged artifact, even if successfully restored, cannot return to its original state as before it was affected.
It is worth noting that after the incident, management units made efforts to restore the treasure carefully, adhering to the principle of preservation, without changing the original elements of the artifact.
More importantly, a series of protection solutions have been implemented such as installing surveillance camera systems, anti-intrusion alarms, tempered glass and strengthening protective locks.
Those are things that need to be done, but more importantly, it is necessary to implement heritage protection work.
In addition to the Nguyen Dynasty throne, there are also many antiques, national treasures and other particularly valuable artifacts facing the risk of being encroached upon, stolen or damaged by human impact.
Cultural heritage is irreparable property. A statue broken, an artifact destroyed, or an antique stolen are all irreparable losses.
Therefore, heritage protection thinking needs to change from passive to proactive, and cannot continue in the style of "losing a cow to build a stable".
National treasures must be placed under a special protection mechanism. Not only cameras or glass blinds, but also stricter visitor control procedures, more modern warning systems and more professional surveillance forces are needed.
In many countries, visitors can only stand from afar to admire precious artifacts. Direct access is almost impossible.
The goal of museums and relics is to serve the public in accessing historical and cultural values. But access does not mean being able to touch, influence or put artifacts at risk.
Heritage is the memory of the nation, protecting heritage is a responsibility to history and future generations.
A treasure that has been damaged is more than enough, what needs to be done now is to ensure that similar mistakes will no longer have the opportunity to be repeated.
