(Dan Tri) - Ho Chi Minh City currently has 16 national treasures that are carefully preserved and protected in 3 museums. Among them, there are treasures that are fenced with infrared rays, have 24/7 surveillance cameras and anti-theft systems.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City has 16 national treasures preserved in 3 museums located in the area. The above data has just been reported by the city's Department of Culture and Sports to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Department of Cultural Heritage.
The places that are preserving national treasures in Ho Chi Minh City are the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts and the Ho Chi Minh City Museum. The treasures are carefully preserved and cared for according to a separate process to ensure their current condition and are periodically checked.
Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History, where the most national treasures are kept in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: GT)
The protection of national treasures is also carried out carefully with a high level of security. Some treasures are even installed with infrared warning barriers and have 24/7 surveillance cameras and anti-theft systems.
Home to many national treasures
The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History houses 12 national treasures, the most in the city. The national treasures here were recognized by the Prime Minister in 2012, 2013, and 2018.
Of these, 4 national treasures belong to Champa culture, 8 national treasures belong to Phu Nam - Oc Eo culture. In terms of materials, 5 national treasures are made entirely of stone, 3 treasures are made of wood, 4 treasures are cast from bronze.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History said that these are works of art that not only represent the historical, cultural and religious values of ethnic groups, but also the aesthetic values of contemporary techniques with indigenous characteristics of the Vietnamese ethnic groups in the past. These treasures contribute to enriching the treasure trove of Vietnamese cultural heritage.
National treasures at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History include: 5 Buddha statues made of bronze, sandstone, candleberry, starfruit, and lagerstroemia wood; 3 statues of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara made of bronze and sandstone; statue of goddess Devi made of sandstone; statue of god Vishnu made of bronze; statue of god Surya made of sandstone; statue of goddess Durga made of sandstone.
The Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said that national treasures at the City History Museum have been protected by enhanced measures such as being placed on suitable, sturdy pedestals, fenced with tempered glass and metal, with surveillance cameras and security signs. The museum has also increased specialized security personnel at the exhibition rooms, and notified the authorities and local police about the treasures being kept.
Currently, the treasures here still ensure the original elements, no damage has occurred. The stone statues are cleaned to separate the layers of cement, old glue, dirt, cleaned of dust and reinforced; wooden statues are also reinforced, cracks, places with high potential for destruction are patched, and covered with protective glue; bronze statues are covered with protective glue to isolate the metal surface from contact with the environment.
The preservation work is focused on by the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History to ensure the best longevity of artifacts, through the control of environment, temperature, and humidity. The group of artifacts made of sandstone is less affected by the environment, while the treasures made of wood and metal are of early age, so they cannot avoid oxidation, decomposition, environmental impact and insect erosion.
The painting is protected by infrared rays.
The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts is preserving two lacquer paintings that have been recognized as national treasures. They are "Spring Garden of Central, South and North" by painter Nguyen Gia Tri (1908-1993) and "Thanh Nien Thanh Dong" by painter Nguyen Sang (1923-1988).
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, the work "Spring Garden of Central, South and North" was created with skillful lacquer techniques, high creative thinking, and strong aesthetic emotions. The work is the summary and synthesis of all artistic achievements in half a century of research, creation, and lifelong dedication of painter Nguyen Gia Tri to lacquer.
Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, where two paintings are recognized as national treasures (Photo: Hai Long).
The work was created over 20 years, from 1969 to 1989, and is the last work of the famous painter Nguyen Gia Tri. The work was recognized by the State as a National Treasure on December 30, 2013.
At the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, the painting "Spring Garden of Central, South and North" is displayed in a separate room with adequate equipment to protect the artifacts along with a number of manuscripts, memorabilia, images and documents about the creative career of the famous painter Nguyen Gia Tri. The painting is protected by infrared barriers, a 24/7 camera surveillance system and is regularly monitored by security guards, equipped with a gas fire protection system.
The painting "Thanh Nien Thanh Dong" was created from 1967 to 1978, is a special work whose content comes from the historical context of the country during the years of resistance against America.
The painting depicts the struggle and demonstration of Saigon students in the 1960s. The work demonstrates the indomitable will of the intellectual class in protesting against the presence of American soldiers in Vietnam.
The work "Spring Garden of Central, South and North" is carefully protected at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts (Photo: Heritage Fund).
The painting "Thanh Nien Thanh Dong" is displayed in the national treasure gallery. The gallery also displays another work by artist Nguyen Sang and some other versions of this artist's paintings. The work "Thanh Nien Thanh Dong" is secured by a fixed hanging system, creating space to avoid mold from the back.
The Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said that both paintings are regularly inspected, preserved according to regulations and guaranteed to keep the original state of the works. The temperature and humidity of the two national treasures are monitored daily with a temperature of 28-29 degrees Celsius and humidity of 55-65%.
The Seal of Merit
The national treasures preserved at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum are the bronze seal of Luong Tai Hau and the printing mold of the 5-dong bill. Of which, the bronze seal of Luong Tai Hau is displayed in the "Spring Travel - Ancient Views" special room; the printing mold of the 5-dong bill is displayed in the "Vietnamese Money" special room.
According to the Heritage Records of the Department of Cultural Heritage, the bronze seal of Luong Tai Hau was recognized by the Prime Minister as a national treasure in 2020. This is a unique artifact, made of bronze, cast in the 14th year of Minh Mang (1833).
The seal of Luong Tai Hau is the seal of one of the three meritorious mandarins - military generals who led the three major armies at that time: Vanguard, Central, and Rear, who were awarded the title of Marquis. Among them, General Tran Van Nang was awarded the title of Luong Tai Hau.
The Luong Tai Hau Chi An is associated with the historical figure Tran Van Nang, who once held the position of Deputy Governor of Gia Dinh citadel. He was also the first meritorious official and high-ranking general to be awarded the title of Marquis without being of royal descent.
The 5-dong bill was issued in 1947 and was made from copper alloy. The bill is rectangular in shape, with a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh carved in the middle and the upper edge has the words (Democratic Republic of Vietnam in capital letters). The bill's face value is written in the number 5.
Below the denomination, there are two rectangular frames engraved with the words " Representative of the Central Government " and the signature of the late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong; the other frame has the words " Representative of the Central Administrative Committee " and the signature of Mr. Nguyen Duy Trinh, former member of the Politburo and former Standing Member of the Secretariat.
The Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City said that the museum pays special attention to the protection of the two national treasures. The artifacts are equipped with surveillance cameras, alarm systems, anti-theft systems and increased security patrols.
Ho Chi Minh City Museum also coordinates with Ben Nghe Ward Police (District 1) to ensure absolute safety for national treasures, research and develop a plan to handle risks of natural disasters, fires, thefts, etc.
Currently, the Luong Tai Hau bronze seal and the 5-dong bill printing mold have not changed in physical condition, their properties are relatively stable, and there are no signs of insects or mold. However, oxidation has appeared due to the effects of temperature and humidity.
Therefore, the preservation work for the two national treasures at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum is carried out at the preventive level, cleaning the surface. The work of checking the temperature, humidity and bringing the artifacts to the storage warehouse is carried out periodically every 3 months.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/theo-dau-16-bao-vat-quoc-gia-duoc-bao-ve-can-mat-tai-tphcm-20240907175103807.htm
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