Nguyen Dynasty is the last feudal kingdom in Vietnam lasted from 1802 till 1945. During their heyday, they left a huge amount of both tangible heritage such as the Hue Monuments Complex or Royal Documentary “Chau Ban” to intangible value such as Royal Court Music,… There is also a significant number of gold treasures made during Nguyen Emperors time that are rarely talked about. This photo blog proudly gives you a glimpse of 10 Nguyen gold treasures you can only see in Hue.
Royal Swords: The Most-Powerful Nguyen Gold Treasures
Of all the Nguyen gold treasures produced during Nguyen Rule from 1802-1945, there are two stand-out royal swords made under two Emperors’ reigns of power: Gia Long and Khai Dinh. With its detailed decoration and sophisticated shapes, they represent a high stage of art during Nguyen heyday.
Sophiscated details on the handholders of Royal Swords:
Emperor’s Crowns: The Treasure that represents Emperor
Each Emperor would have their own crown made when it came their turn of ruling Vietnam. Emperors would wear different crowns for different ceremonies that he had to participate in. For example:
The Thuong Trieu crown above is made of gold, precious stones, pearl with a height of 28,6 cms and a width of 53,2 cms. Emperors wore this special crown during the Monthly Meeting at the Supreme Harmony Hall in Hue Imperial City. This ornate asset was also worn by our Emperors in big ceremony such as welcoming Foreign Ambassadors, Royal Family Ritual Ceremony,…
Royal Edicts
A majority of royal books made by gold were produced during Gia Long and Minh Mang reigns. These periods were the peak of Nguyen Dynasty development. By issuing those documents in gold, mainly for family purpose, it represents huge wealth these two Emperors pursued during the Southern Reclamation of Vietnam.
Among them are: The Gia Long gold book produced in 1806, weighs 2100 grams.
Minh Mang “De He Thi” consists of 13 gold pages, length 23,2 cms, width 13,7 cms produced in 1823.
De He Thi is a special family poetry Minh Mang created to name his next 20 descendants. It consists of 20 beautiful names in Chinese scripts. Unfortunately only 5 of these names were given to his children due to the end of Bao Dai in 1945. Until now, this can be considered as one of the most precious gold treasures of Nguyen Dynasty.
Gold Bowl
Duy Tan Emperor ordered to produced this well-decorated in the year of 1911, weighs 1400 grams.
Emperor Stamps
Royal stamps represent the sacred spirit of a country. It shows the will and orders of Emperors. There are many types of Emperors stamps: gold and precious stone or other material. During Nguyen dynasty, Royal Sword and Stamps stood for the utmost power Emperors had. In 1945, Emperor Bao Dai passed Nguyen Royal Sword and Stamp as sign of ending his power and giving way for a new government to rule the country Vietnam.
There are total 24 Emperors stamps produced during Nguyen Period, mainly in Gia Long and Minh Mang reigns.
Other Nguyen Gold Assets
Many of these invaluable asssets of Nguyen Dynasty represents a flourish development of Vietnam history. Although suffering many looting and damages during two wars, this collection can be seen at Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities at 2 Le Truc street, Hue city, Vietnam.
Currently, there is an exhibition of The Dragon and Phoenix on Treasures of Nguyen Dynasty that will last till 3 December 2018. Make sure you add this museum on your must-do list in Hue, Vietnam.
In case you want to have a knowledgeable guide to tell you story behind each antique, you can join our Hue Walk of Revolution that helps to take you here as part of the tour.
Ticket to Museum is included in the Hue Imperial City ticket, thus, when you finish your walking tour in Hue Imperial City, do not skip this museum to see one of the most extraordinary Nguyen treasury when you are in Hue, Vietnam.
Before visiting Hue Imperial City, there is some interesting facts you should know as well.
Read more of Understanding Hue Citadel Complex here.
Read more of Harem of Nguyen Dynasty: From Rank to Honor.
For those of you who want to learn of Nguyen Emperors noble history in Hue Imperial City, you can check out this best-selling tour in Hue. You will be guaranteed a great understanding of Hue and its profound history.
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