King Le's mausoleum was stolen by 2 Chinese, mysterious around the National Treasure

On May 7, the Center for Historical Research and Conservation of Thanh Hoa Cultural Heritage said that the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police are investigating and clarifying the case of the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong - belonging to the Lam Kinh Special National Monument Complex - being violated.

Previously, on the evening of May 3, during the inspection, the Center's staff discovered that the tomb showed signs of abuse. At the scene, the authorities seized a phone with a Chinese character interface, a number of identification papers bearing the name of a Chinese citizen, along with a tattoo - an iron tool often used to detect antiquities underground.

Immediately after discovering the case of encroaching on the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police conducted a verification, investigation and initially identified two suspects involved. Through coordination, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police sent an urgent notice to the Quang Ninh Provincial Police, requesting assistance in arresting two suspects who were on their way to flee from the territory of Vietnam across the Northern border, potentially returning to China.

Initially, the police identified two Chinese suspects who were directly involved in the act of "infringing on the corpse and grave" - a particularly serious crime according to Vietnamese law. The place that was violated was the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong, belonging to the complex of Lam Kinh Special National Monument, Thanh Hoa province - the resting place of the nobles of the Hau Le dynasty.

Previously, at 13:00 on May 4, the Quang Ninh Provincial Police Department received information from the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police Department requesting support and coordination in arresting two Chinese subjects who had "violated corpses and graves" at the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong. The two subjects are on their way to Mong Cai city to exit to China.

However, through field experiments, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police determined that on the top of the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong had been violated by 2 Chinese, digging a deep hole to find antiquities

The two arrested suspects are Deng Zhui, 41, passport EN7117797, and Shen JiangYang, 43, passport EK0544073, both of whom have permanent residence in Guangxi Province, China.

At about 14:15 on the same day, the Quang Ninh Provincial Police conducted an inspection of a taxi with a control plate 36H-098.31. Through inspection, the authorities successfully detected and arrested two suspects who were intending to flee Vietnam. After completing the prescribed procedures, the Quang Ninh Provincial Police handed over the two suspects to the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police for further investigation and handling according to their competence.

At the police office, SHEN JIANGYANG and DENG ZHIJI initially testified that on April 28, these two suspects entered Vietnam from China through Mong Cai International Border Gate with the purpose of stealing antiquities in the ancient tombs of kings, or the tombs of rich people. When entering Vietnam, the subjects brought a metal tattoo stick, a machine with a metal detection touch device. When arriving in Thanh Hoa city, the subjects stayed at a hotel in Dien Bien ward, then bought some more equipment such as portable electric drills, ropes, packaging, tarpaulins, gloves, shovels, crowbars, etc. then rented a motorbike to the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong to observe.

On May 3, SHEN JIANGYANG and DENG ZHIJI used tools and equipment to explore and dig up the tomb of King Le Tuc Tong but found nothing of value. When they saw people passing by, the subjects withdrew and left all tools at the scene.

Regarding the case, the leader of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thanh Hoa province said that recently in a number of provinces and cities across the country, groups of subjects with complex activities have appeared, taking advantage of the name of visiting, scientific research or studying in the field of cultural heritage to carry out illegal surveys, digging in the areas of tombs of historical figures or archaeological sites, with the aim of searching for and appropriating relics and antiques.

Facing this worrying situation, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thanh Hoa has issued a written request to localities in the province to strengthen the management, inspection and protection of historical-cultural relics and scenic spots in the area. At the same time, relevant units are required to promptly detect, effectively prevent and strictly handle acts of illegal theft, infringement, digging and salvage of cultural heritage, as well as illegal trade and exchange of antiques and relics in order to protect the historical-cultural value and national cultural sovereignty

Currently, both subjects are being detained to serve the investigation. The authorities continue to clarify the motives, methods of committing acts and the extent of infringement on this particularly important historical relic.

According to historical documents, King Le Tuc Tong, whose real name was Le Thuan, was the third son of King Le Hien Tong. Since childhood, he has been famous for being intelligent, studious and has outstanding qualities, trusted and loved by his father. Although not the eldest, thanks to his virtue and talent, he was chosen as the Crown Prince, surpassing many brothers in the royal family. According to the chronicle of the Le Dynasty, Dai Viet History Encyclopedia, close to the sage, liked good things and was a good king who kept a peaceful inheritance. During his reign, he also put down the rebellion of Doan The Nung in Cao Bang.

After King Le Hien Tong died, Le Thuan ascended the throne and became King Le Tuc Tong in 1504. However, his reign did not last long. After only a few months of treatment, in December 1504, he suddenly fell seriously ill. Before his death, due to the lack of heirs, he appointed his second brother, Le Tuan, to succeed to the throne - later King Le Uy Muc.

King Le Tuc Tong died on January 12, 1505, at the age of 17, after only 6 months of reign. Although his time as king was short, he was evaluated by history books as a wise man with a heart, vision, love for the people, patriotism, and great talent. The violation of his tomb has caused public opinion, historians and people to be especially concerned and outraged.