Article published on the 2010-01-25 Latest update 2010-01-25 17:44 TU
A statue of Le Loi, Emporer of Vietnam and founder of the Le Dynasty, in Thanh Hoa city
(Photo: WikiMedia Commons)
State television showed a red cloth, decorated with dragons, being draped over the coffin at the Vietnam Museum of History in Hanoi, where the body of King Le Du Tong had been preserved for decades.
"This event met the aspiration of several generations of the Le family, and it reflected the aspiration of the Vietnamese people,” said Le Van Duat, a representative of the Le clan.
Farmers accidentally uncovered the king's coffin when they were digging a field in 1958, according to the Vietnam News.
They found an outer coffin and when they broke a corner of it, they saw a red-lacquer inner coffin trimmed with gold, the newspaper reported.
After the museum ceremony a procession of at least 100 vehicles escorted the body of the king, who died in 1731, south to Thanh Hoa province for the reburial.
A motorcade took a few hours to reach Bai Trach village, where the king's coffin was discovered.
Local media said thousands of people turned out to greet the procession, where military personnel in olive and white dress uniforms marched with wreaths on a red carpet.
Officials and experts first opened the original wooden coffin in 1964. Buried with the king were 83 other items that included a pillow, clothing, utensils and wrapping cloths.
"This is the only case where one of the kings of the Vietnam feudal regime was excavated and studied. This is a precious historical thing," museum officials said in a statement.
Le Du Tong, who assumed the throne in 1705, was the 22nd king of the Le dynasty, which had ruled since 1427 when its founder Le Loi defeated Chinese invaders.