HUẾ Personal objects that once belonged with the exiled Vietnamese Emperor Hàm Nghi (1871-1944) have been returned to Việt Nam.

The mother-of-pearl tea tray of Emperor Hàm Nghi that was given to the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre Photo courtesy of the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre

The Emperor’s belongings, including a tea tray, smoking pipe and a collection of the Han-character books, were handed over by Dr Amandine Dabat, the fifth-generation descendant of Emperor Hàm Nghi, to the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris and representatives from the Việt Nam National Museum of Fine Arts.

The mother-of-pearl tea tray and the three-volume book collection were given to the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre on October 26.

The mother-of-pearl smoking pipe was presented to the People's Committee of Cam Lộ District in Quảng Trị Province.

Cam Lộ District is home to the Tân Sở National Historic Site which commemorates Emperor Hàm Nghi and patriots of the Cần Vương (Save the King) Movement – a large-scale Vietnamese insurgency between 1885 and 1889 against French colonial rule, aiming set Emperor Hàm Nghi as the leader of an independent Việt Nam.

The three-volume book collection of Emperor Hàm Nghi that was given to the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre. Photo courtesy of the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre

In additional to the personal items of the Emperor given to the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre and the People's Committee of Cam Lộ District, a painting by Emperor Hàm Nghi was given to the Việt Nam National Museum of Fine Arts. The painting was exhibited for the first time around 1878.

In December 2022, the Emperor’s descendant also gifted the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre a painting that Emperor Hàm Nghi created during his exile in Algeria.

The 30cm-by-45cm artwork depicting a European countryside landscape with soft meadows, a lake and mountains in the foreground, currently is on display at the Huế Royal Antiquities Museum.

Director of the Huế Monuments Conservation Centre Hoàng Việt Trung said that receiving objects that once belonged to Emperor Hàm Nghi is significant for heritage conservation efforts and contributes to honouring the historical values of the nation.

He said that the repatriation of the Enperor's valuable items will help the people in the country, especially the younger generation, to admire and learn more about the patriotic Emperor.

Hàm Nghi was the eighth emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn Dynasty. File Photo

Born in 1871 with the birth name Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Lịch, Hàm Nghi was the eighth emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn Dynasty, but reigned for only one year (1884-85).

After the failure of the Cần Vương Movement against French colonial rule, Emperor Hàm Nghi was captured and exiled to Algeria, where he lived until he died in January 1944. VNS