According to Mr. An, when he was 11 years old, he was always wondering about some questions like: “which stoned-made tools had been used by the prehistoric man, which special cultural traits of Hung’s Kings during the periods of the country’s foundation and defense? etc.”. All periods of history classes had not satisfied his inquisitiveness. Thereby, he often rode his bike nearly 20km distance to the Binh Thuan provincial Library to find books about Culture ad History.
Inside his 200-square-meter-wide room, his ancient items are displayed professionally in many separate themes, such as Cham Culture; Dong Son cultural antiques, Oc Eo cultural jewelry; Khmer Cultural ancient items, Sa Huynh pottery; ancient items of the Southern Highlands province and Kut statues (a special artistic type concentrates in the current residences of the Cham community in the provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan). Besides, he has a set of 20-tone-Lithopone dated over 3,500 years old. Such a musical instrument is considered as a nonpareil one hitherto.
Although he possesses a huge fortune, Mr. An has never sold any items so far. In his opinion, every ancient item carries its private cultural and historical value. Otherwise, he is willing to grant thousands of his valuable antiques as if he heard of somewhere in need of specimens for the purpose of teaching and learning or for cultural and historical exhibitions.
As of now, he has granted over 16,000 specimens to more than 30 units, cities, and provinces nationwide.
Currently, his newly-unveiled Museum of Antiquities is open for anyone who wants to visit and study without any admissions. Therefore, the museum has attracted crowded domestic and foreign visitors to visit for sightseeing, research, and cultural exchanges.
Many provinces and cities have awarded certificates of merits for his great contributions to the cause of cultural heritage conservation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Translated by My Thien (Source: Binh Thuan Online)
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