French auction house Millon has agreed to hand over an ancient emperor’s gold seal to Vietnam following a negotiation.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said on Monday that a delegation of officials led by Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong traveled to France to negotiate with Millon and carry out necessary procedures to repatriate a gold seal of Nguyen Dynasty's Emperor Minh Mang.

During their stay in France, the delegation conducted research and assessed the current status and authenticity of the gold seal, which was kept at the auction house’s office in Paris.

The delegation determined that the gold seal is an original artifact minted in 1823.

Historical documents also show that the French government handed the seal to Chief of State Bao Dai on March 8, 1952.

The gold seal has many similarities with two other seals currently kept at the Vietnam National Museum of History.

All three gold seals were cast in 10-year-old gold, with similar shapes, sizes, and weight.

This is a seal design that has never appeared in previous dynasties or other countries in the world.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, along with relevant ministries, agencies, organizations, and individuals, will coordinate with Millon to repatriate the gold seal to Vietnam as soon as possible, in accordance with regulations of the two countries.

The repatriation of the gold seal will help complete the collection of lost antiquities and treasures as well as preserve and promote the value of the Southeast Asian country’s cultural heritage, the ministry stated.

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