Police in Vietnam have nabbed a man accused of breaking a "national treasure" inside a world heritage site. The man allegedly broke a 200-year-old throne dating to Vietnam's last royal dynasty, kept inside Hue city's Thai Hoa Palace, "the ceremonial hall where Nguyen dynasty emperors held court," per Vietnam News. The man identified as Ho Van Phuong Tam was "suspected to be under the influence of drugs" and had been escorted from the site due to erratic behavior. But he returned unnoticed, entered a restricted area of the palace, and climbed up onto the ornate red-and-gold throne shortly after noon local time, the outlet reports. By the time security personnel discovered him, the throne's left armrest was reportedly busted.
The shirtless Tam, 42, was arrested, but was unable to give a statement to police, who are arranging a psychiatric assessment, per the South China Morning Post. The suspect had been ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation in 2023 and had lately been living rough, per Vietnam News. He reportedly "shouted incoherently" before climbing up onto the throne. Though a replica throne is displayed at the palace, Tam is believed to have broken the original, per the outlet. The Centre for the Conservation of Hue Monuments has ordered that the throne be moved to a secure storage facility at the Royal Antiquities Museum, where the damage can be assessed. CNN describes the armrest topped by a dragon's head lying in pieces on the floor. (More Vietnam stories.)
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