US-Funded Project on Preserving Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks Completed

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper attends the event. Photo: Lam Dong newspaper

The State Archives and Records Administration on May 25 held a ceremony to announce the completion of a project on preserving Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks, a UNESCO-recognised documentary heritage item, at the National Archives Centre IV in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong, VNA reported.

Dang Thanh Tung, director of the State Records Management and Archives Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs, said that the Vietnamese government has implemented a number of major projects to preserve the woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty. However, due to the influence of the natural aging process, tropical climate, as well as fungal and insect activities over the centuries, there are still many outstanding issues that need the participation and contribution of the social community. association in prolonging the life of this document.

The project, funded by the United States Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), started in July 2020 with a funding of over USD 88,000, preserving 500 degraded plates of woodblock at the National Archives Centre IV.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper listens to the leader of the National Archives Centre IV presenting the preservation of degraded woodblocks. Photo: Lam Dong newspaper

After the AFCP grant was approved in July 2020, a technical team studied and assessed the damage level of the degraded woodblocks. From January to the end of August 2021, the team carried out conservation treatment of the decayed woodblocks using techniques used in developed countries like Japan, the Republic of Korea, and France.

A total of 34,555 plates of woodblocks engraved with Chinese characters are kept at the National Archives Centre IV. The content of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) woodblocks is rich and diverse, reflecting all aspects of Vietnamese society in the Nguyen Dynasty. They were used to print books in Vietnam during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper speaks at the event. Photo: Lam Dong newspaper

At the ceremony, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper said cultural heritage conservation is only one among many fields of cooperation between the two countries. According to him, the US has funded 16 projects in this field in Vietnam since 2001 with a total value of over USD 1.2 million.

Printing woodblocks are precious items used in Vietnam during feudal times. The woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty helped to record official literature and history, as well as classical and historical books. They were included in the Memory of the World Register in 2009.

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