Saigon’s "King of Antiques" owns multi-million dollar collection

VietNamNet Bridge – The bed of a prince from the 18th century, a 300-year-old bed and more than 2,000 other artifacts are some of the property owned by Hoang Van Cuong, dubbed the Saigon ‘King of Antiques’.

Cuong is proud about the bed, which was used by a prince in the reign of King Tu Duc in the 18th century. He said the antique is worth about $1 million.   This bed was made from wood taken from very old lychee trees 300 years ago. This item was offered for $2 million but Cuong has not sold it.   The ceramics and porcelains are several hundred years old.   In 1969, when he was a young reporter with UPI, Cuong started collecting antiques like his father and grandfather.   After the country’s reunification, he had thousands of priceless antiques.   In 2000, during a visit to Vietnam, former US president Bill Clinton and his wife visited Cuong’s antique warehouse.   According to antique collectors and traders in HCM City, based on the number of existing antiques, Cuong deserves to be called the ‘King of Antiques’ in Vietnam.   Ancient tobacco and opium pipes.   At the age of over 60, with a passion for collecting and preserving old values of the country, Cuong still travels throughout Vietnam and abroad to seek and purchase Vietnamese antiques.   Cuong has three antique warehouses in District 1, Thu Duc District and District 7. In 2014 he said he would be willing to auction his collection to raise funds to defend the country’s sea and islands.   “I’ve never sold any item I’ve collected to anyone, but when the country needs, I am ready to dedicate all of them,” Cuong said.

Ngoi Sao

Saigon’s "King of Antiques" owns multi-million dollar collection

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