Shipwreck items to be auctioned (Vietnam)
The southernmost province of Ca Mau is gearing up to transport more than 76,000 antiques to Amsterdam for auction at Sotheby’s.
According to director of Ca Mau Historical Museum, Le Cong Uan, the antiques were salvaged in 1998 from the shipwreck of a vessel that is believed to have sunk in the early 18th century off Ca Mau’s southern coast.
Chinaware plates, tea-cups, boxes and statues are included in the items to be sold off.
"The Government has allowed us to sell the antiques at an international auction, but there are still a number of customs procedures to be completed before we can ship them," Uan said.
Salvaging the antiques from the shipwreck cost about VND16 billion (US$1 million), of which VND14 billion came from the State budget.
Sotheby’s will cover all the costs of the auction but it will take 20 per cent of the revenue from the sales.
Some of the antiques have been kept by the Viet Nam Historical Museum, Viet Nam Fine Art Museum in Ha Noi, and historical museums in HCM City and Ca Mau . — VNS
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