Vietnamese police have detained a man who damaged an imperial throne that is regarded as one of the Southeast Asian country’s most treasured artefacts, conservation authorities said on Sunday.
Police say the 42-year-old man damaged the throne, recognised as a national treasure, after trespassing into a restricted area inside the Thai Hoa Palace in central Vietnam.
Ho Van Phuong Tam, from Hue, climbed onto the throne and reportedly broke a part of it before being subdued by security, authorities said.
The ornate red-and-gold throne of the Nguyen dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of Vietnam that ruled for some 140 years until 1945, is preserved in the Thai Hoa Palace in Hue.
Mr Tam purchased an entrance ticket to the palace and reportedly made his way to a restricted area. He then allegedly climbed onto the imperial throne standing at the centre of the palace.
Since there were only a few visitors present, the incident went unnoticed for a brief period before security staff intervened.
A visitor captured the incident on video and shared it online, triggering widespread public outrage.
Hue city police launched an investigation and subsequently detained Mr Tam.
In the wake of this “extremely rare and unprecedented” incident, the People’s Committee of Hue City announced that the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre had shifted the throne to a secure storage facility at the Royal Antiquities Museum and installed a replica in the Thai Hoa Palace for public viewing.
Mr Tam “snuck into the Nguyen dynasty display area, screamed and then broke the front left armrest” around midday on Saturday, a statement from the centre said, according to AFP. It said that Mr Tam showed “signs of psychosis, screaming, talking nonsense and could not answer the investigator’s questions”.
The centre was enlisting experts and artisans to evaluate the extent of the damage and recommend a suitable restoration plan, according to Asia News Network.
Security at the heritage site would be enhanced, with a renewed focus on safeguarding artefacts and national treasures, it added.
Authorities have been unable to formally question Mr Tam due to his unstable mental state. A psychiatric assessment has been ordered and police have been working with local prosecutors, local media reported.
Mr Tam moved to Ho Chi Minh City with his family in the 1990s and returned to Hue earlier this month. He was, however, forced to leave the home of his relatives where he had been staying since his return and took to living on the streets.
Previously, in July 2023, he had been ordered to undergo compulsory drug rehabilitation.
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