Repatriated Goddess Durga bronze statue to be on public display

The museum held a ceremony to announce the results of the repatriation of the statue in Hanoi on August 28.

The ancient statue of the Vietnamese origin is 191cm long and 101kg weigh, 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 realises the antiquities repatriation policy, preventing loss of cultural property and heritage.

The repatriation of the statue is a result of cooperation between Vietnam, the US, and the UK.

In August 2023, the Vietnamese Embassy in the US 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 Vietnam National Museum of History to bring the bronze statue to Vietnam.

It arrived in Vietnam on June 18 and has been kept at the National Museum of History in Hanoi.

An appraisal council established by the museum on June 24 assessed that this is the largest bronze statue, and a typical representative of Champa culture and art discovered to date. It is also a rare antique holding great values in terms of culture and fine arts through historical periods.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong affirmed that the reception and repatriation of the Goddess Durga bronze statue is the result of active coordination between Vietnam and the US. It is one of the highlighted events marking the 10 years of the Vietnam - US Comprehensive Partnership.

In addition, the UK authorities also provided timely support to repatriate the statue to Vietnam, which is considered one of the outstanding activities in Vietnam - UK cooperation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations (1973-2023).

Nguyen Van Doan, director of the museum, said that the bronze statue of Goddess Durga has supplemented and completed the collections that feature the unity and diversity of Vietnamese history and culture, thus facilitating the popularisation of Vietnamese history and culture.