On September 28, Standing Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee Y Ngọc met with and honored athletes, coaches and an individual for outstanding achievements in sports and the preservation of cultural heritage.
Standing Vice Chairwoman Y Ngọc presents Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee to athlete Đinh Văn Tâm and coach Phạm Quốc Anh
The honorees included athlete Đinh Văn Tâm and coach Phạm Quốc Anh, who achieved outstanding results at the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) in 2026, and Dương Đình Lục, who discovered and voluntarily handed over the ancient Hanuman Monkey God statue to the authorities.
Speaking at the event, Standing Vice Chairwoman Y Ngọc congratulated and commended Đinh Văn Tâm, Phạm Quốc Anh and Dương Đình Lục for their contributions to Quảng Ngãi’s sports achievements and the preservation and promotion of local cultural heritage.
She asked the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to continue investing in sports facilities and implementing support policies, while strengthening the detection, training and development of sports talents and building a strong successor force to achieve higher results at regional and international competitions.
She also called on departments, agencies and localities to raise public awareness of the importance of discovering, protecting and handing over cultural relics and antiques, and to promptly recognize and reward organizations and individuals making contributions to heritage preservation.
Standing Vice Chairwoman Y Ngọc presents Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee to Dương Đình Lục
At the event, Standing Vice Chairwoman Y Ngọc presented Certificates of Merit from the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee to athlete Đinh Văn Tâm of the Quảng Ngãi Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center, who won a silver medal in the men’s 56kg Wushu Sanda event at ASIAD 20, and coach Phạm Quốc Anh, who directly trained Đinh Văn Tâm.
A Certificate of Merit was also presented to Dương Đình Lục of Đông Lỗ Village, Vạn Tường Commune, for his outstanding contribution to discovering and voluntarily handing over the ancient Hanuman Monkey God statue.
Earlier, on September 24, 2026, Đinh Văn Tâm, a member of the national Wushu team, won the silver medal in the men’s 56kg Wushu Sanda event at ASIAD 20. This marked the first ASIAD medal in the history of Quảng Ngãi sports.
In 2021, while working in Tuyết Diêm 3 Village, Bình Thuận Commune, Bình Sơn District (now Đông Lỗ Village, Vạn Tường Commune), Dương Đình Lục discovered an ancient stone statue buried about three meters deep in coastal sand. In 2023, he and his family voluntarily handed over the artifact to the Quảng Ngãi General Museum for management in accordance with regulations.
Following an appraisal conducted by the museum with the participation of experts and researchers, the artifact was identified as a Hanuman Monkey God statue, made of fine-grained sandstone. The statue is 84 cm high and is a stone sculpture of Champa art dating back approximately 800 years.
The discovery and voluntary handover of the artifact by Dương Đình Lục contributed to the protection, preservation and promotion of the value of Quảng Ngãi’s cultural heritage. He was previously recognized and commended by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Decision No. 2415/QĐ-BVHTTDL dated September 16, 2026.
Minh Thiện
