Masterpiece statue stolen from Vietnam’s Me So Pagoda

Security camera footage shows a masked man wearing gloves, breaking into the pagoda to access the statue, which was placed on an altar platform on the second floor of the pagoda.

The burglar then used a shirt to cover the camera.

The head nun of the pagoda, Thich Dam Lan, said the burglary might have been orchestrated by a group of four or five people, who seemed to know the pagoda’s layout.

“According to ancient documents, the 1.93-metre-high statue made from jackfruit wood, weighs more than 100kg, so a sole burglar couldn’t have done this,” she said.

The head of Me So Hamlet, Le Tuan Anh, said the burglary happened at about 2am on Saturday but was only discovered at 6.15am, when nuns woke up and realised that the lock on the entrance was broken.

Anh believes the burglar group used a rope to remove the statue from the second floor. 

“In October 1988, the statue was stolen, but luckily it was found. Now, it once again has been ‘abducted’,” Anh said.

The thief also took a pair of valuable bronze candle holders.

 

“Big loss”

Talking with Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper, the chairman of Van Giang District said the burglary is a big loss for the region and the local people because “the statue is their pride and their belief”.

He also said that the case is now under investigation by local police and relevant agencies. 

Commenting on the burglary, an expert on ancient art, Bui Hoai Mai, said antique theft and smuggling, which |has been occurring for decades, is |partly caused by “loose cultural |management”.

“Lack of knowledge on antiques of Vietnamese customs is another reason contributing to antique smuggling,” he told Viet Nam News,

He also said the awareness of most Vietnamese people on antique protection is still limited. 

Built in the Le dynasty during the 1427-1789 period, the Me So Pagoda |was recognised as a national historical and cultural relic way back in 1988. Alongside the stolen Buddha statue, the pagoda also has a 0.95cm-long bronze bell, which was cast in 1822.