The imperial throne of the Nguyen Dynasty is housed in the Thai Hoa Palace within the Hue Imperial Citadel, in Hue City.
The throne, a unique artefact of significant historical and cultural value, was housed in the Thai Hoa Palace within the Hue Imperial Citadel. Measuring 101 centimetres in height, 72 centimetres in width, and 87 centimetres in length, the intricately carved wooden piece is gilded with gold leaf. It was officially recognised as a national treasure in January 2016.
At noon on May 24, Ho Van Phuong Tam, 42, a resident of Phu Xuan Ward in Hue, purchased a ticket to enter the Hue Imperial Citadel. Upon reaching the Thai Hoa Palace, Tam began exhibiting unusual behaviour and was escorted by security staff to the rear.
Ho Van Phuong Tam sits on the throne
However, Tam later returned, slipped into the display area, shouted incoherently, and broke the left front armrest of the throne.
To prevent further damage to other exhibits, guards approached cautiously and requested reinforcement. Tam was subdued at 12.10 pm.
Initial surveillance footage showed that two guards, Dang Quang Long and Dao Hoang Vu, were present at the Thai Hoa Palace during the incident.
Tam at the police station
Local police documented the event but were unable to question Tam, who appeared to be in a state of psychosis, yelling incoherently and failing to respond to investigators' questions.
The Hue city government has been tasked with assessing the throne's current condition and proposing restoration and conservation measures. It was also directed to comprehensively review and strengthen the management and protection of relics and national treasures at the Hue Imperial Complex.
The Deputy Prime Minister further instructed provincial authorities and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to develop preventive strategies to ensure such incidents do not recur.