Cultural protection in focus: plans to save national treasures in danger!

Cultural protection in focus: plans to save national treasures in danger!

On May 29, 2025, the Vietnamese government launched comprehensive measures to protect national cultural assets. A document from Vice Minister Hoang Dao Cuong calls for a comprehensive review and assessment of national cultural assets to ensure their safety and integrity. Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh had already issued a directive on May 25, 2025, requiring ministries and local authorities to review the current status of national treasures and submit reports on them by June 6, 2025. These steps are in response to the incident of desecration of a significant cultural property, the throne of the Nguyen Dynasty, which was declared a national treasure in 2015, and are intended to help prevent similar incidents in the future, reported vietnam.vn.

The measures presented include the development and implementation of protection plans for national treasures, which in particular require individual strategies for privately owned collections. These protection plans must include appropriate measures against theft, fire, explosions and natural disasters. It is also emphasized that investments in the renovation and modernization of warehouses and exhibition areas are given top priority. The preservation process should comply with strict scientific standards and legal requirements.

Implementation of the Cultural Property Protection Act

In Germany, the Cultural Property Protection Act is also the focus of political discussions. On October 16, 2024, the Committee for Culture and Media held a public hearing in which a bill to amend the Cultural Property Protection Act was presented. The German Cultural Council and the German Museum Association commented positively on the planned changes, while the German Art Trade Interest Group noted both relief and critical points. The changes include, among other things, an extension of export licenses for national cultural property from five to ten years and an increase in the value limit for special due diligence obligations from 2,500 euros to 5,000 euros, such as bundestag.de reported.

In the political discussions, the high level of bureaucratic effort involved in documenting cultural assets was also pointed out. Dr. Christina Berking from the German Art Trade Interest Group is calling for the value limit to be increased to 10,000 euros in order to ease the burden on the trade. Those present agreed to call for the Cultural Property Protection Act to be regularly evaluated every five years to ensure its effectiveness.

Protection of cultural assets at risk

The developments in Vietnam and Germany illustrate the need to comprehensively protect cultural assets. While new protective measures are being taken in Vietnam to protect nationally valuable artifacts from damage and loss, in Germany work is being done on the legal framework that is intended to improve the protection of cultural assets. Both countries have recognized that the responsibility for protecting and preserving cultural assets does not only lie with the state, but also requires the support of local authorities and institutions.