Vinh Nghiem Pagoda prepares to receive the World Cultural Heritage Certificate: Urgently embellishing the landscape and enhancing its value

BAC NINH - Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (located in Tan An ward) is one of the largest and oldest Buddhist centers in Vietnam. The project to restore this special national relic was approved by the People's Committee of Bac Giang province at the end of 2023 and is being implemented in preparation for the Ceremony to receive the World Cultural Heritage Recognition Certificate, scheduled to take place in December 2025.

Methodical investment, enhancing the value of relics

With its ancient architecture, unique system of statues, stone steles, bronze bells and woodblocks, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda not only has religious significance but is also a cultural treasure with far-reaching influence when on July 12, the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the Complex of Monuments and Landscapes of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac as a World Cultural Heritage.

The front yard of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda is being expanded and upgraded.

To enhance the value of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, at the end of 2023, the People's Committee of Bac Giang province approved the project to restore and embellish this special national relic with a total budget of hundreds of billions of VND, invested by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to be implemented in the period 2025-2026. The items include: Construction of the Buddhist Lecture Hall area (lecture hall and Phuong Dinh house), a front yard of about 1,300 m2 ^paved with stone; renovation of the pagoda yard (cat tuong yard) with an area of ​​5,400 m2 paved with ^bricks , the main axis paved with stone; restoration of the three-door gate; tourist boat dock forming a passenger port; a box-shaped entrance to the relic with a two-story roof architecture, covered with tiles. This is a necessary and meaningful preparation step, not only serving the conservation of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda heritage but also opening up prospects for sustainable development of cultural and spiritual tourism, increasing the ability to welcome international and domestic visitors; Balance between conservation and development, contribute to local economic growth through tourism, accommodation and trade services.

Comrade Duong Van Duc, Chairman of Tan An Ward People's Committee said: "To serve the project implementation, the locality has completed the site clearance in the area of ​​​​the tourist boat dock construction (area of ​​about 0.84 ha) related to 4 households. Through review, these households do not have documents on legal land use rights, so they are not compensated according to regulations. However, thanks to the enthusiastic propaganda and mobilization of the local government, by September 6, 2025, Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh's household agreed to hand over the largest area of ​​​​the site (about 3,000 m2 ⁾ . The remaining 3 households also agreed to hand over the related area after the construction boundary was clearly defined. Thus, the entire area within the project implementation boundary has been agreed by the families. Tan An Ward People's Committee has handed over the site to the investor and the construction contractor.

Speed ​​up progress

The immediate goal of the project is to serve the Ceremony to receive the Certificate of Recognition of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda as a World Cultural Heritage (part of the Complex of Monuments and Landscapes of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac), scheduled to take place in December 2025, jointly organized by three provinces and cities: Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong.

On July 12, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex as a World Cultural Heritage. The ceremony to receive the Certificate of Recognition for this Monument Complex is expected to take place in December 2025, jointly organized by three provinces and cities: Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong.

However, the construction progress is still very slow compared to the plan. According to the survey on October 21, many items are still unfinished, especially the tourist boat dock - an important highlight serving waterway tourists - has not yet been implemented.

In fact, every year, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda organizes crowded events and festivals with many large-scale cultural and artistic activities, attracting many monks, nuns, Buddhist pilgrims, and tourists from all over to worship. Based on the current situation, the direction of Comrade Mai Son, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and the proposal from the abbot of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Tan An Ward People's Committee proposed the Provincial People's Committee, Department of Finance, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to consider and approve the implementation of 2 projects.

The first is the project to invest in the construction and renovation of the pagoda's auxiliary infrastructure (about 20 billion VND) from the province's cultural career budget to improve the electricity system, lighting, fire prevention, fire fighting, trees, sidewalks, and parking lots that are lacking and degraded. Accordingly, the People's Committee of Tan An Ward will build a parking lot next to Provincial Road 299B on an area of ​​about 13,900 m² that has been cleared, with a drainage system, public sanitation, fences, etc. In addition, there will be sidewalk paving, lighting installation, landscape decoration, a crescent lake in front of the pagoda, and mobile toilets installed to serve the festival and visitors from all directions.

The second is the project to renovate and build a number of items in Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Relic (phase 2) invested by the Pagoda Relic Management Board, with a funding source of about 10 billion VND from the pagoda. The items include: Construction of a woodblock production area and printing of sutras (area of ​​360 m², 9-compartment architecture) to serve the work of conservation, restoration and introduction of traditional woodblock printing techniques (the pagoda has prepared enough wood for construction); renovation of the ancestral tower garden (about 20 towers) according to Buddhist architecture; temporary construction of a 200 m² dining room to serve pilgrims, ensuring harmony with the landscape, which can be dismantled when planning is needed. The above items are completely independent, do not overlap with the content being implemented by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and do not use the state budget but use the pagoda's budget. Tan An Ward People's Committee proposed the Provincial People's Committee to approve the policy of receiving sponsorship and assign the ward as the investor to speed up progress in time to serve the upcoming important event.

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/chua-vinh-nghiem-chuan-bi-don-bang-cong-nhan-di-san-van-hoa-the-gioi-gap-rut-ton-tao-canh-quan-nang-tam-gia-tri-postid429590.bbg