VietNamNet Bridge – Mr. Hoang Van Cuong, dubbed the "king of antiques" in HCM City, has said he will donate his collection worth dozens of millions of US dollars to the foundation for marine sovereignty defence.

Antique collector Hoang Van Cuong.

Among the most valuable antiques owned by Cuong is a Chinese-origin wooden bed more than 300 years old.

This bed previously belonged to a mandarin of the Nguyen Dynasty. The bed is made from a monolithic piece of rare wood and skillfully carved with a dragon holding a globe. Antique experts say this is a unique item in the world. Cuong said that someone had wanted to buy the bed for $2 million.

Cuong is also the owner of nine beds used by Vietnamese kings and royal families, such as the bed of King Gia Long (a gift from the Cambodian king), the bed of King Duc Duc and the bed of  Queen Mother Tu Du.

Cuong also has many items belonging to the Nguyen Dynasty, consisting of enameled porcelain dishes, the edicts of the king or ancient lamps, and a set of 25 Japanese rifles made since 1600, with ivory-made stocks.

Cuong’s testament.

Cuong said he wishes to cooperate with the authorities to organize an auction of his antiques that he expects to earn tens of millions of US dollars. His hand-written testament reads: "Seventy percent of the auction value will be donated to the foundation for marine sovereignty defence and poor fishermen who have a passion for defending the country’s sea and islands; 30 percent will be given to my children and my paternal and maternal families."

Through the media, Cuong said he wanted the relevant agencies to help him evaluate his collection and organize the auction.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Sang, a senior official from the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the agency that manages the foundation for maritime sovereignty defence, said: "We appreciate the spirit of patriotism of Mr. Hoang Van Cuong. As Cuong’s property is antiques, he should contact the specialized bodies to evaluate and auction the items. We will help him with administrative procedures so his assets will be put up for auction early, according to his wishes."

Mr. Pham Thanh Nam, an official from the HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, as prescribed, to auction assets that are artifacts, the owner must register the antiques and submit the list of antiques to the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for auction.

Mr. Hoang Anh Tuan, director of the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, said currently Vietnam does not hold antiques auctions. The auctions for antiques unearthed in Vietnam were all held abroad. Cuong will have to cooperate with the relevant agencies such as the departments of culture, finance and taxation to fulfil the related procedures and ask for the opinion from the Cultural Heritage Agency.

Mr. Ly Kiet, the owner of an antique store at 17 Le Cong Kieu, Ho Chi Minh City, said: "In Saigon, Cuong’s collection is probably the most valuable. He has many items that everyone covets. Many collectors asked me to buy his items for them, but Cuong never sells his antiques."

AsiaLife Magazine said that the value of Cuong’s antiques is up to $70 million.

In late 2000, U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Cuong’s warehouse of antiques and he was very interested in many items.

Tien Phong