The Quang Ngai Provincial General Museum currently houses four national treasures: the Long Thanh terracotta pottery collection, the Phu Hung Champa monk statue, the Tra Veo 3 - Lam Thuong gold jewellery collection, and the banknote printing moulds.
Long Thanh terracotta pottery collection
This pottery collection comprises 18 artefacts discovered at the Long Thanh archaeological site of the Sa Huynh culture (Sa Huynh Ward, Quang Ngai Province). Each piece is a unique work of art, showcasing distinctive sculptural and decorative features characteristic of Sa Huynh pottery.
The Long Thanh terracotta pottery collection (Photo: Quoc Trieu).
All 18 Long Thanh pottery jars are adorned with beautiful and elegant wave patterns. These vase-shaped jars were crafted using a hand-coiling technique. The clay material was meticulously filtered and mixed with fine sand.
The collection of 18 Long Thanh pottery jars holds exceptional artistic and decorative value, reflecting the advanced development of pottery craftsmanship.
Phu Hung Champa monk statue
The Phu Hung Champa monk statue originated from Phu Hung Tower (formerly Quang Nam Province). In 1994, Quang Ngai Provincial Police confiscated the statue from an antique dealer and transferred it to the Quang Ngai Provincial General Museum for management.
Residents of Quang Ngai Province admire the national treasure, the Phu Hung Champa monk statue (Photo: Quoc Trieu).
Carved from a single sandstone block, the statue weighs 500 kilogrammes and dates back to the 9th-10th centuries. It depicts the deity Shiva in the form of a remarkably lifelike monk. The Phu Hung Champa monk statue is a unique artefact, representing a distinct artistic style.
The statue is sculpted in a meditative seated posture on a stone base, leaning against a stylised Champa temple-tower backrest. The monk's head features a lotus bud-shaped halo, portraying a wise Champa teacher with a benevolent face. The statue holds prayer beads in its right hand and a lotus flower in its left.
Tra Veo 3 - Lam Thuong gold jewellery collection
The Tra Veo 3 - Lam Thuong gold jewellery collection includes earrings and rings. The collection features 10 earrings of various designs. The earrings are decorated with opposing chrysanthemum patterns, with evenly spaced petals. The gold ring set comprises three rings, one of which is adorned with a gemstone on its surface.
The Tra Veo 3 - Lam Thuong gold jewellery collection (Photo: Quoc Trieu).
These artefacts were discovered during archaeological surveys in the former Tra Bong District and Mo Duc District of Quang Ngai Province.
The gold jewellery collection possesses significant aesthetic value, representing an early artistic style of the Champa culture from the 10th-12th centuries. These artefacts demonstrate a perfected level of goldsmithing artistry.
Banknote printing moulds
Two banknote printing moulds, for denominations of 1 dong and 50 dong, dating from 1947, are preserved at the Quang Ngai Provincial General Museum and were recognised as national treasures in 2024.
The banknote printing moulds are unique artefacts linked to the printing workshop site of Inter-zone V, which was designated a national heritage site in 2021.
The 1 dong banknote printing mould consists of two separate moulds used for printing the front and back of the banknote.
The rectangular front mould features a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh in a circular frame at its centre. To the right, the upper section bears the Vietnamese text "Tin phieu mot dong" (One dong banknote), while below it reads "Dai dien Chinh phu Trung uong" (Representative of the Central Government), with the signature of former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.
The 50 dong banknote printing mould (Photo: Quang Ngai Provincial General Museum).
The back mould's central section depicts a farmer guiding two buffaloes ploughing a field. The upper right corner features the text "mot dong" (one dong). To the left, a stylised circular flower motif contains the numeral "1" and the symbol "$" (dong) within a circular frame.
The front of the 50 dong banknote printing mould is rectangular, with a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh in a circular frame at its centre. The top edge bears the text "VIET NAM DAN CHU CONG HOA" (Democratic Republic of Vietnam), and below it reads "nam muoi dong" (fifty dong). To the right of the mould, the text "Dai dien Chinh phu Trung uong" (Representative of the Central Government) appears, followed by the signature of former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong.
To the left of the mould, the text "Dai dien Uy ban Hanh chinh Trung Bo" (Representative of the Central Administrative Committee) is visible, followed by the signature of Nguyen Duy Trinh. The mould's border is decorated with images of workers, farmers, and soldiers, symbolising unity during the resistance for national construction.
