Musician Hoang Van's collection was recognized by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage...

At 11:00 p.m. on April 10 in Paris, the UNESCO Executive Board unanimously agreed to inscribe the “Collection of Musician Hoang Van” into the Memory of the World Register. This is the first time a Vietnamese music collection has been recognized as a World Documentary Heritage.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van, Head of the Vietnamese delegation, said that the recognition of musician Hoang Van's collection by UNESCO is not only a great honor for the musician and his family, but also an affirmation of the position of Vietnamese music in the flow of human intellectual heritage.

“This is a vivid testament to the enduring vitality of Vietnamese music, a vivid memory of a historical period, reflecting the soul, identity and aspirations of an entire nation through each melody,” said Deputy Minister Ngo Le Van.

The Deputy Minister highlighted the important role of the Memory of the World Program in protecting and promoting global cultural and historical values, and highly appreciated the effective coordination between domestic and international authorities and experts, especially the dedicated contributions from musician Hoang Van's family in preserving and promoting this valuable collection.

Musician Hoang Van's collection has been officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage. Photo: BNG

Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to UNESCO Nguyen Thi Van Anh said that the Collection is one of 74 dossiers recommended by UNESCO for inclusion out of a total of 121 nomination dossiers considered at this session. The dossier was approved smoothly and exceeded expectations, with close coordination between many stakeholders, especially the timely advisory role of Dr. Vu Thi Minh Huong, Member of the International Advisory Committee of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme for the 2024-2028 term, which contributed significantly to the dossier being approved with an absolute rate (100%).

Ms. Le Thi Hong Van, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretary General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, affirmed that the registration of the dossier "The Collection of Musician Hoang Van" was a success beyond expectations, the result of the close and harmonious coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and a team of domestic and international experts.

Ms. Le Thi Hong Van said that the collection is the fourth world documentary heritage out of 570 world documentary heritages recognized by UNESCO to date. This is also the first documentary heritage about Vietnamese music to be recognized, contributing to enriching the national cultural treasure and human civilization.

The above registration is even more meaningful when the revised Law on Cultural Heritage was passed by the National Assembly in 2024 and took effect from July 1, 2025, which for the first time dedicated a chapter to documentary heritage, demonstrating the increasingly deep interest of the State, management agencies and the whole society in this field.

Musician Hoang Van's collection includes more than 700 musical works composed from 1951 to 2010, deeply reflecting the changes of the country and the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people through many periods.

With a harmonious combination of European classical music and folk music, his works not only have artistic value but are also valuable documents for research on Vietnamese culture, society and music history.

The book was written by musician Hoang Van's daughter, music doctor Le Y Linh. Photo: PV/Vietnam+

According to the assessment of the International Advisory Council of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, Vietnam's dossier fully meets international criteria with outstanding values. The collection is well preserved and highly accessible through a multilingual digital platform (https://hoangvan.org), contributing to spreading Vietnamese cultural values to the international community.

UNESCO's recognition of the Collection of Musician Hoang Van is not only the pride of musician Hoang Van's family, but also the common pride of the country and people of Vietnam. This documentary heritage will contribute to raising public awareness of documentary heritage, spreading the cultural-historical-humanistic values of Vietnam to the world, thereby enhancing the image and position of the country and people of Vietnam in the international community.

Musician Hoang Van, whose real name is Le Van Ngo, was born in 1930 in a family of scholars on Hang Thung Street. At the age of 16, he joined the Mai Hac De National Salvation Youth Team, was a liaison officer for the self-defense force of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc (Inter-zone I) in Hanoi, and then became the head of the Cadets of Regiment 165, Division 312. After 1954, when peace was restored, he was sent to study at the Beijing Conservatory of Music (China).

After graduating in 1960, he became the conductor of the Voice of Vietnam Music Group, artistic director, and taught composition and arrangement at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music (until 1989). From 1963 to 1989, he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Musicians' Association, Head of the Vocal Composition Department, and worked at the Vietnam Musicians' Association until 1996. He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts in 2000.

For a long time, musician Hoang Van taught at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music (Vietnam National Academy of Music). Musicians Truong Ngoc Ninh, Phu Quang, An Thuyen… were all his students.

Musician Hoang Van began composing in 1951. His compositions are closely associated with two long-term resistance wars and the country's occupations and localities: "Ho keo Phao," "Toi la nguoi tho lo," "Ha Noi-Hue-Sai Gon," "Quang Binh que ta oi," "Bai ca giao thong van tai," "Chao anh giai phat quan-Chao mua xuan dai thang." He is also the author of many choral and instrumental pieces and is in charge of music for many famous films such as "Con chim vong khuat," "Vi tuyen 17 ngay va dem," "Em be Ha Noi."

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/bo-suu-tap-cua-nhac-sy-hoang-van-duoc-unesco-ghi-danh-di-san-tu-lieu-the-gioi-249063.html