On August 31, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US received 10 artifacts and handed over them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver to the museum (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in US) In 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discovered a US citizen named Donald Miller (now deceased), claiming to be a philanthropist, amateur archaeologist, illegally storing a large collection of antiquities and remains in Indiana.
In 2014, the FBI recovered more than 7,000 objects and artifacts that Donald Miller gave up ownership of and wished to return them to the legal owners.
On February 27, 2019, the FBI published a press release on its website, declaring its desire to return stolen artworks to the communities they belong to, and calling on foreign governments to contact it and send experts to verify the artifacts.
After affirming that Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has the right to receive the artifacts in accordance with Article 45 of the Law on Cultural Heritage, the ministry assigned the Vietnam National Museum of History to receive the above-mentioned objects through diplomatic channels and keep and manage them according to regulations.
On August 31, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US received 10 artifacts and handed over them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver to the museum on October 4.
The artifacts include one Late Neolithic stone ax; three bronze axes and one ceramic pot belonging to Dong Son culture; three stone crocodile statues in the 1st - 2nd centuries AD and two bronze pipes in the 17th - 18th centuries.
The museum has completed the scientific records for the artifacts. It is also making a plan to promote the value of the collection in the future./.
VNA
