UNESCO Pledges Support for Thua Thien-Hue to Preserve Cultural Heritage Sites

Visiting the Conplex of Hue Monuments for the first time, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, appreciated the efforts made by the province and the Monument Conservation Center in recent years to preserve and promote the values of the country's tangible and intangible heritage.

On September 7, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay (right) worked with Nguyen Van Phuong, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

While stressing that the set of monuments of Hue is the first world heritage in Vietnam recognized by UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay called for the restoration, promotion and conservation of the sites of the heritage of Hue.

For his part, the President of the Thua Thien-Hue People's Committee, Nguyen Van Phuong, said that over the years, the province has always paid attention to the conservation and promotion of Hue's heritage values and cultural identity, while cooperating effectively with UNESCO. He stressed that Thua Thien-Hue is home to seven UNESCO world heritage sites.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay with the artists of the Royal Court Music (Photo: baochinhphu.vn).

According to the director of the Hue Monument Conservation Center, Hoang Viet Trung, over the past two decades, the international campaign launched by UNESCO has provided Hue with practical and effective assistance.

(Photo: baochinhphu.vn).

The monument renovation process was professionally conducted, in accordance with the International Convention on the Preservation of Monuments and the Cultural Heritage Act, providing standards and authenticity of work highly appreciated by national and international scientists, bringing positive socio-economic effects, he said.

Vietnam - UNESCO's effective cooperation for cultural heritage restoration, promotion and conservation

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (commonly known as the 'World Heritage Convention') is an international agreement that was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1972. Vietnam marked the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Convention this year with a September 6 ceremony in the northern province of Ninh Binh, home to the Trang An Landscape Complex – a mixed cultural and natural heritage site of the world that earned the recognition in 2014.

Since 1994, UNESCO has launched the Memory of the World Program to recognize documentary heritages. So far, hundreds of heritages of this type have been recognized. Vietnam now has 7 documentary heritages recognized by UNESCO at 2 levels: the world and the Asia-Pacific region (3 World Documentary Heritages are the woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty, the King red marked documents of the Nguyen dynasty, and Van Mieu Thang Long stone stelae of doctorates; 4 Asia – Pacific Regional Documentary Heritages are: woodblocks of Buddhist scriptures of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda - Bac Giang, Poetry on Hue imperial architecture - Thua Thien Hue, Phuc Giang School Woodblocks - Ha Tinh, and the map “Hoang Hoa Su Trinh Do” - Ha Tinh), reported from Vietnam National Cultural Heritage Council.

Vietnam now has 28 heritages of 3 types (tangible heritage, intangible heritage and documentary heritage) recognized by UNESCO, including 8 tangible heritages, 13 intangible heritages and 7 documentary heritages (UNESCO-recognized Global Geopark, World Biosphere Reserve excluded).

Hue currently owns and co-owns 7 heritage titles recognized by UNESCO, including 1 tangible heritage (Complex of Hue Monuments, 1993), 3 intangible heritages (Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music, 2003; The practice of Tam Phu Mother Goddess worship, 2016; and The art of Bai Choi singing, 2017), and 3 documentary heritages (Woodblocks in the Nguyen Dynasty, 2009; Red Marked Documents of the Nguyen Dynasty, 2014 ; and Poetry on royal architecture Hue, 2016).

Hue ancient capital accounts for a quarter of the total UNESCO heritages in Vietnam, and is worthy of being the land of culture and heritage (Photo: baothuathienhue.vn).

On December 10, 2019, the Politburo issued Resolution No. 54-NQ / TW on Construction and Development of Thua Thien Hue to 2030, with a vision to 2045 which states: Building Thua Thien Hue to become a municipality on the basis of preserving and promoting the value of the ancient capital's heritage and Hue cultural identity, with characteristics of culture, heritage, ecology, environment-friendly and smart urban landscape. This is a great opportunity for Hue Capital to build and develop on the basis of preserving and promoting its massive cultural and natural heritage treasures.

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