Experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) conduct field assessments at Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape Complex.

On the afternoon of August 7, the expert delegation of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) of UNESCO began field appraisal of the World Heritage nomination dossier for the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Scenic Landscape Complex at the Yen Tu Monument and Scenic Landscape Area (Uong Bi City). Receiving and working with the delegation were comrade Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee, as well as leaders of departments, branches and Uong Bi City.

Before the field assessment, the expert delegation of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) of UNESCO listened to the Management Board of Yen Tu Monuments and National Forest introduce the overall Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape Complex.

Speaking at the working session with the expert delegation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee, emphasized that this is the first inter-provincial dossier in Vietnam with a large amount of work, with 3 localities concentrating human resources, intelligence and more than 100 domestic and international experts in many fields to survey, research and build the dossier. After 3 years of preparation, the dossier was submitted to UNESCO on January 26, 2024. Quang Ninh province hopes that the delegation will support and assist Quang Ninh province as well as Vietnam so that UNESCO can consider and recognize the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac Scenic Landscape Complex as a cultural heritage of humanity at the 47th session held in 2025, which is also the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

During the working program, comrade Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and leaders of the Management Board of Yen Tu National Monuments and Forests introduced to experts the overall Yen Tu Monuments and Landscapes Area, the system of zoning to protect the Monuments, the outstanding values of each monument, the efforts of the province and Uong Bi City in the work of protecting, managing, preserving, embellishing and promoting the value of the nominated heritage.

The delegation of experts visited and listened to an introduction about the outstanding values of Bi Thuong Pagoda.

After the working session, ICOMOS experts will conduct field assessments at 14 relic clusters and sites in Yen Tu Relic and Landscape Complex to assess the integrity and authenticity; protection, management, conservation, restoration and promotion of the values of the nominated heritage.

The focus is on checking and reviewing the zoning and marking of zones 1 and 2 in all relic clusters and sites; conservation, restoration and embellishment projects of relics carried out in recent years; reports on results, records, documents, research works on relic sites; records reporting results, diagrams, images of archaeological excavations at relic sites; reviewing the promulgation and implementation of management regulations as well as management plans for the relic site; reviewing the system of signs, introduction boards, and instructions at the relic site...

The delegation of experts listened to an introduction to the brick tomb relic. The relic was discovered during archaeological excavation research to serve the restoration of Bi Thuong Pagoda in 2006.

According to the plan, the ICOMOS expert team will conduct field assessments at Yen Tu Relic and Landscape Complex until August 11. Then from August 12-15, the team will also conduct field surveys at Con Son, Kiep Bac (Hai Duong) and Vinh Nghiem ( Bac Giang ).

Currently, these localities are also preparing to welcome the survey team, and at the same time, announcing information about the nomination documents for the general public to understand. Thereby, to clarify the story about the historical and cultural value of the relic and scenic complex of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac.

The expert delegation inspected the protection, management, conservation and restoration work at Suoi Tam Pagoda.

The assessment by the ICOMOS expert team is an important step in completing the dossier, before UNESCO experts officially assess it, moving towards considering and recognizing the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac relic complex as a World Cultural Heritage at the 47th session held in 2025.

The delegation of experts listened to an introduction to the history and archaeological sites at Lan Pagoda.

The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex includes 6 special national relic sites and 32 relic sites zoned for protection under the Law on Cultural Heritage. The dossier was assigned by the Prime Minister to Quang Ninh province to preside over, coordinate with Hai Duong and Bac Giang to build with 2,139 pages of documents in Vietnamese and English translation; 101 diagrams, maps, 196 architectural drawings, 260 archaeological drawings, 1,141 photos, recreating historical, cultural, architectural values, intangible and tangible heritages and a master management plan across the 3 provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Duong and Bac Giang.

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