Bronze statue of Goddess Durga repatriated

The ancient statue of the Vietnamese origin is 191cm long and 101kg in weight, depicting the image of the Hindu goddess Durga and having great historical, cultural and art values.

It reflects the cultural, religious life and beliefs in the history of Champa community-an important part constituting the diversity and unity in the community of Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Along with enriching the collection of artefacts on Vietnamese culture and history, the reception of the statue also realizes the antiquities repatriation policy, preventing the loss of cultural property and heritage.

The repatriation of the statue, which was illegally trafficked into the U.S., is a result of cooperation between Viet Nam, the U.S., and the UK.

It is also an outcome of Viet Nam's efforts to implement the commitments of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on measures to prohibit the illegal export, import, and transfer of ownership of cultural property.

In August 2023, the Vietnamese Embassy in the U.S. informed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the detention of a four-armed goddess Durga during an investigation into illegal antiquities trafficking.

In February 2024, the Arts Council England granted permission to the Viet Nam National Museum of History to bring the bronze statue back to Viet Nam.

In November last year, the Nguyen Dynasty's golden imperial seal of "Hoang de chi bao" (Treasure of the Emperor) was handed over to Viet Nam at a ceremony held at the Vietnamese Embassy in France./.