The boy is passionate about collecting antiques

From a young age, Le Tan Khoa had a strange interest in broken pieces of pottery and ceramics mixed in the soil that he picked up while working with his father in the fields or digging ditches. He brought these “inanimate” objects home to clean, admire, and store.

After graduating from high school in 1991, Khoa did not take the university or college entrance exam but stayed home to help his family farm. Whenever he had free time, Khoa would wander around looking for antique collectors or scrap sellers to buy back seemingly discarded items for a few thousand to a few tens of thousands of dong. It was just a few broken jars, a few wooden objects carved and hand-carved by the ancients, a few cracked cups and plates... but to this young man, each old item was a story, a meaning...

Khoa studied on his own through books, newspapers, and documents on archaeology, prehistoric culture, ancient stone objects, ancient pottery, etc. He made friends with archaeologists and collectors, and went to the Phu Yen Provincial Museum (old) to ask for permission to attend antique appraisal sessions. Through discussions with museum staff, Khoa learned that antiques need to be examined for age, material, natural wear, and how to distinguish real from fake objects. Gradually, he became a "self-taught collector", understanding every detail of ancient bronze objects and the value of ancient pottery.

Le Tan Khoa introduces a set of ancient stone axes (over 3,000 years old).

Although it was a personal collection, Khoa still boldly sent photos of the artifacts to antique forums to ask for opinions from experts and long-time antique collectors. He was very happy because some clusters of antiques were identified by researchers as having traces of the Nguyen Dynasty, the French colonial period, or even Cham antiques.

During a trip to Son Thanh Dong commune, near Lac Sanh stream in Tay Hoa district (old), now Son Thanh commune, he accidentally picked up a piece of light blue glazed ceramic with stylized patterns. After posting it on an antique forum, some experts identified it as a 12th - 13th century Champa ceramic glaze.

On one occasion, from the house of an acquaintance in the same village, Khoa asked for a small bronze incense burner with a dragon pattern and faint Chinese characters. Through analysis of the sample, experts from the Phu Yen Provincial Museum confirmed that the bronze incense burner was made during the late Nguyen Dynasty, around the end of the 19th century. This item was once used as a household item when worshiping ancestors - evidence of folk beliefs combined with the style of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Another time, when he went to a carpentry workshop in a nearby village, Khoa discovered some rosewood pieces with beautiful wood grain. Thanks to his knowledge of ancient wood structures, he knew that these could have been part of a carriage interior or the wooden frame of a French-era chair. After a process of pairing and comparing, Khoa confirmed that these were pieces of rosewood from the early 20th century - the French era in Vietnamese interiors.

For Khoa, antiques are not simply old things. They are “witnesses of time”, containing an entire historical period. He shared: “I do not collect for their monetary value. To me, each antique is a story, a piece of lost history that I have the opportunity to pick up.”

Currently, Mr. Le Tan Khoa's collection has over 3,000 antiques, typically: Stone axes (over 3,000 years old); "Chain" of Sa Huynh pottery, Champa pottery (over 1,000 years old); ivory jewelry (Tay Son period, 18th century) or tobacco pipes, wine bottles, plates, cups, bowls... (Qing, Ming, Tran, Le dynasties...). Most of these antiques were picked up by him during the production process, or were given to him by people when discovered. He bought more valuable items from other collectors with clear records.

Le Tan Khoa (right) introduces to tourists ancient ceramic objects of ancient dynasties.

Not only stopping at collecting antiques, Khoa also contributes practically to the work of preserving and educating the community. In 2011, on the occasion of Phu Yen's 400th anniversary of its formation and development (1611 - 2011), Mr. Khoa donated an ancient lime pot (from the Nguyen Dynasty) and some other valuable antiques to the Phu Yen Provincial Museum. Instead of selling, he chose to donate them so that the community could see and understand the value of the heritage.

In addition, he often talks to students at local schools about “Phu Yen Antiquities - Understanding Correctly, Collecting Responsibly”, recounting the history, meaning, and manufacturing methods of each artifact. He hopes that through direct access to antiquities, young people will love history more and be proud of their homeland’s cultural heritage.

Le Tan Khoa is planning to build a mini museum in his own house. He hopes this place will be a destination for students, locals, and tourists to learn about local antiquities and history. In addition, he also plans to write a photo book recording his collection journey and the stories of typical artifacts.

Hoang Ha The

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202507/chang-trai-dam-me-suu-tam-co-vat-b8c17d4/