Vietnam: What are the functions of the Artifact Assessment Council?

Vietnam: What are the functions of the Artifact Assessment Council? (Illustrative photo)

The Artifact Assessment Council is stipulated in Article 4 of Circular 13/2010/TT-BVHTTDL:

1. Functions of the Artifact Assessment Council in Vietnam:

The Artifact Assessment Council is an advisory body that assists the Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in selecting artifacts to propose for recognition as national treasures.

2. Composition of the Artifact Assessment Council in Vietnam:

- The Artifact Assessment Council consists of 7 to 11 members, including the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary of the Council, and members who are experts and scientists with expertise and reputation in appraising relics, antiquities, and national treasures;

- The standing committee of the Artifact Assessment Council is responsible for receiving proposals for recognition as national treasures from organizations and individuals and organizing meetings of the Artifact Assessment Council to assess artifacts and their dossiers. The standing committee is located at the provincial museum, provincial relic management board, or the Division of Cultural Heritage under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

3. Working models of the Artifact Assessment Council in Vietnam:

- The Artifact Assessment Council operates democratically; through discussion, voicing opinions, and voting by secret ballot or open vote to determine the value of artifacts and their dossiers brought for assessment;

- Meetings of the Council must have at least two-thirds of the members present; written opinions of absent members are for reference only;

- The Council reviews and analyzes each artifact and its dossier under Article 2 of this Circular;

- Members of the Council evaluate each artifact and its dossier according to the prescribed evaluation form (Form No. 3 issued with this Circular). A valid form is one marked in either the "include in list" or "do not include in list" column accordingly;

- The Council elects a Vote Counting Committee comprising 3 members, including 1 Head of the committee. Vote counting results are summarized in the prescribed form (Form No. 4 issued with this Circular);

- Artifacts agreed upon by the Council to propose for recognition as national treasures must be approved by at least two-thirds of the present Council members, and this number must be no less than half of the total members of the Council. In cases where the votes are tied, the Chairman's decision is final;

- Council members discuss and agree on supplementing or amending documents of artifact dossiers unanimously proposed by the Council for recognition as national treasures;

- Meeting minutes are made with a list of artifact dossiers proposed for recognition as national treasures (Form No. 5 issued with this Circular).

More details may be found in Circular 13/2010/TT-BVHTTDL effective from March 1, 2011.

Nguyen Phu

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