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) discovereda US citizen named Donald Miller (now deceased), claiming to be a philanthropist,amateur archaeologist, illegally storing a large collection of antiquities andremains in Indiana.
In 2014, the FBI recovered more than 7,000 objects andartifacts that Donald Miller gave up ownership of and wished to return them tothe legal owners.
On February 27, 2019, the FBI published a press release onits website, declaring its desire to return stolen artworks to the communitiesthey belong to, and calling on foreign governments to contact it andsend experts to verify the artifacts.
After affirming that Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismhas the right to receive the artifacts in accordance with Article 45 of the Lawon Cultural Heritage, the ministry assigned the Vietnam National Museum of History toreceive the above-mentioned objects through diplomatic channels and keep andmanage them according to regulations.
On August 31, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US received 10 artifactsand handed over them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver to themuseum on October 4.
The artifacts include one Late Neolithic stone ax; threebronze axes and one ceramic pot belonging to Dong Son culture; three stonecrocodile statues in the 1st - 2nd centuries AD and two bronze pipes in the17th - 18th centuries.
The museum has completed the scientific records for the artifacts. It is also making aplan to promote the value of the collection in the future./.
VNA
