Mummified monk's red lacquer day
By Owen Bennett-Jones in Hanoi
The Vietnamese Government has given scientists permission to restore the lacquered mummy of a 17th Century Buddhist monk.
The body of Vu Khac Minh, sitting in the lotus position, can be seen in a glass case in the Dau Pagoda 50km (30 miles) south of Hanoi.
Unlike mummies elsewhere in the world, the body still contains all the internal organs.
According to tradition, when Vu Khac Minh was approaching death in 1639, he locked himself in his pagoda and asked his disciples to leave him alone for 100 days so that he could meditate.
Perfectly preserved
When they eventually went into the building, they found the monk's corpse was perfectly preserved.
The disciples concluded that he had reached nirvana and decided to preserve his body by covering it in red lacquer.
Three centuries later, the mummy remains intact, although scientists say the lacquer covering parts of the legs and head has cracked and needs restoration.
Scientists stumped
Several overseas organisations have offered to fund the work, but officials say the mummy is a national treasure and they are determined to raise the $24,000 they need locally.
The scientists say all the monk's bones and internal organs are in place, and they do not understand why the mummy - which weighs just 7kg - has survived for so long.
But the current head monk at the pagoda says the explanation is clear: the preservation of his predecessor, he says, illustrates the ability of the human body to achieve a new level of grace through Buddhist teachings.