VietNamNet Bridge – The concrete tomb built for a king’s mother under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) in Hue has been excavated illegally, with local authorities suspecting lust for gold being behind the grave robbing.

The royal grave after being excavated illegally. Photo provided by the Nguyen Family Committee

Ton That Tam Ky, a manager of the Nguyen Family Committee, who represents descendants of the dynasty kings in the country and around the world, said he discovered the excavation earlier this week and reported the case.

At the scene, a stone stele and its base had been removed from their original place in the tomb, while the concrete grave was destroyed.

Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, who manages all heritage monuments left by the dynasty in the city, said the tomb was built for Tran Thi Nga, mother of the dynasty’s fifth king Duc Duc and grandmother of the 10th king Thanh Thai.

Hai told Viet Nam News that he transferred the case to the Hue City People’s Committee as the tomb has not been recognised as a heritage item yet. “The tomb is located inside a cemetery of the Nguyen Family Committee and the area is under the management of the city committee,” he said.

Nguyen Van Hoa, chairman of Thuy Xuan Ward, the locality where the tomb is located, said the case is under investigation, but he believed the intruder was seeking gold, as an intruder in a previous case in the tomb confessed he was looking for gold.

Many people in Viet Nam believe that gold and other jewellery items were buried in the tombs of kings and royal family members.

The Nguyen Dynasty was the last imperial rulers of Viet Nam. King Duc Duc ruled the country for three days after he was adopted by King Tu Duc from a sibling family. Although he was the fifth king, his son Thanh Thai was the 10th king of the dynasty due to turmoil created by French colonists. 

Source: VNS