Game & Initiative: The Golden Naga, a solidarity treasure hunt to discover Cambodia

Yesterday saw the official launch of the Golden Naga game at the Musée Guimet. Set in the heart of the remains of a forgotten empire, this game allows players to rediscover the temples of Angkor in Cambodia thanks to the publication of the secret diary of explorer Henri Mouhot! A joint treasure hunt with eight riddles and €50,000 in prizes.

Setting

London, 1858. Henri Mouhot, a renowned naturalist, boards the HMS Caledonia to explore the banks of the Mekong...

But fate had other plans! He discovered the monumental archaeological site of the temples of Angkor, the jewel of the Khmer kingdom, as well as the Golden Naga, an extraordinary treasure that he buried to protect it from looters. A few months later, he dies, taking his secret to the grave...

Cambodia, 2024. During the construction of a school, a volunteer from the association Enfants du Mékong finds Henri Mouhot's secret notebook intact. It contains eight riddles leading to the hidden treasure. This diary, which you are holding in your hands, is your key to discovering the Golden Naga.

“The hunt is on! From the comfort of your own home, solve the eight riddles and become the winner of the Golden Naga... ”

The Golden Naga

Following on from the Golden Owl and the Golden Elixir, the Golden Naga is the first international treasure hunt to benefit an NGO, devised by UNSOLVED HUNTS and ENFANT DU MÉKONG. The game is sold in aid of Enfants du Mékong's work in Cambodia, in partnership with GALLIMARD VOYAGES and the MUSÉE GUIMET.

The prizes

A treasure trove worth 50,000 euros to be won, including a unique creation by jeweller LORENZ BÄUMER and a bronze NAGA with gold patina by sculptor Anne-Laure de CHILLAZ, a travel grant from MONT BLANC, two plane tickets donated by EMIRATES and a trip organised by MARCO VASCO.

100% of the profits will be donated to the educational projects of the ENFANTS DU MÉKONG association.

Focus on the game

Published by VOYAGES GALLIMARD and illustrated with original watercolours painted in Cambodia, this tale of fiction and reality is inspired by Henri Mouhot's real expedition in 1858. It has a neat, original layout and serves as a backdrop for the eight riddles that can be solved from home to find the exact location of the treasure.

“The Enfants du Mékong association reflects our commitment to promoting access to schooling for all, regardless of economic or social circumstances. Their remarkable work with these children is a source of inspiration, and we are proud to support them,” says Charlotte Gallimard.

What does the game contain?

The game contains :

• The 8 riddles leading to the treasure

• The story, illustrated by Samuth Mech, Khmer artist and art teacher at Enfants du Mékong

• A period map to unfold

Podcasts to listen to throughout the story, courtesy of CHUT ! ON VOUS ÉCOUTE

How can I play?

From €24 on www.nagador.com.

The game is open to everyone:

• GOLDEN NAGA: 1 winner, €50,000 in treasure

• NAGA EXPRESS: The Naga Express is an intermediate stage of the treasure hunt, offering participants the chance to win prizes by completing the first 3 puzzles

• NAGA JUNIOR is a version of the treasure hunt specially designed for children aged 6 to 15, with 10 specially adapted riddles

The Golden Naga, a solidarity treasure hunt to discover Cambodia

Why this hunt?

The founder of Enfants du Mékong, René Péchard, often said:

“Before you can help, you have to learn to know and to love”.

That's precisely the ambition of this adventure: to help people discover Cambodia and its history, and to foster a love of Angkorian civilisation and the Khmer people.

So that, by discovering Cambodia, it is possible to gain a better understanding of the people who live there and the distress of some of the families that the association supports.

The needs on the ground are immense. Every week, local managers and volunteers report on the plight of families suffering from poverty and disease.

Without the help of Enfants du Mékong, the children we support would be forced to leave school to work in the fields or on a rubbish dump. Pagna, the character in this fictional story, takes on the traits of a Enfants du Mékong godchild. He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and an enthusiasm for sharing his culture and the riches of his country.

Partners

Launched in partnership with a number of well-known cultural players, this treasure hunt is a bridge between cultures and an original opportunity to discover Cambodia and its history.

“By taking part in the Golden Naga, the GUIMET MUSEUM is paying tribute to the emblematic figures who paved the way for the discovery of Asian heritage and cultures, in keeping with Émile Guimet's insatiable curiosity, spirit of adventure and central role in education and the transmission of knowledge“.

The riddles for the hunt have been devised by the UNSOLVED HUNTS team, which launched and manages the Élixir d'Or, the biggest treasure hunt in the world today.

“I hope that the hunt will make you want to discover this country, which thirty years ago was emerging from a slow agony under the Khmer Rouge dictatorship and which, in the Enfants du Mékong centres, makes us want to believe in it. It's the real treasure of this hunt, and it sparkles with a thousand lights”, says Étienne Picand of Unsolved Hunts.

To film the official game video, magician GUS L'ILLUSIONNISTE offered his acting talents and the Maison DEYROLLE opened its most beautiful rooms.

Enfants du Mékong

Enfants du Mékong is a French sponsorship association that has been working to provide schooling for the poorest children in South-East Asia since 1958. In Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Burma, the association works through school sponsorship. Priorities include girls' education, early childhood, shanty towns, ethnic minorities, refugees and displaced persons, and isolated populations.