Community holds and sustainably promotes heritage

The 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) emphasized the 5 “Cs” in the global strategy, in which “community” is considered a key pillar. According to experts, community is not only a concept but also a philosophy, a core principle in heritage conservation. It is the community that holds, preserves and passes on heritage through many generations. They possess valuable knowledge, experience and understand best the historical stories as well as the spiritual values ​​hidden in each heritage.

Heritage "saviors"

Accompanying the artisans for 3 years to carry out the restoration of Thai Hoa Palace, architect Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, affirmed that without artisans, skilled workers and the craft village community - the "saviors" of the heritage, the project would be difficult to carry out.

Thai Hoa Palace is located in Hue Imperial City, started by King Gia Long in 1805, is one of the monumental and symbolic works of the Nguyen Dynasty, where important court ceremonies such as coronation, king's birthday, reception of envoys and grand court sessions twice a month on the first and 15th of the lunar calendar. On November 23, 2021, Thai Hoa Palace was renovated with a total cost of 128 billion VND from the state budget. The project has a total area of ​​about 7,100m2 ^, of which Thai Hoa Palace is 1,440m2 ^, Dai Trieu Nghi yard is 1,640m2 ^... After 3 years, the project was inaugurated on November 23, 2024. Architect Hoang Viet Trung said that in the past, the connection between craft villages and the royal court, artisans from traditional craft villages Phuoc Tich, Tien Non, Da Le... were called to the capital to construct important projects. Without the hands that made each tile, layer of paint, enamel plate..., there would be no Hue Imperial Citadel as it is today.

Thai Hoa Palace is considered a model in restoration work and a practice environment for the next generations of artisans. Photo provided by Hue Monuments Conservation Center

From many structures that were seriously degraded after the war and the subsidy period, over the past 30 years, the work of preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values ​​of the ancient capital of Hue has achieved many great achievements. Hue is not only the first place in Vietnam to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage but also becomes a model in the work of restoring, rehabilitating and sustainably developing heritage. To date, more than 250 large and small structures have been preserved and restored, including typical structures such as: Ngo Mon, The Mieu, Dien Tho Palace, Truong Sanh Palace, Long An Palace, Nam Giao Altar, Gia Long Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb, Khai Dinh Tomb... The restoration work was carried out methodically, in accordance with international conservation standards, with the participation of experts, artisans, craftsmen and highly skilled technicians. Among them, two recent works, Kien Trung pavilion and Thai Hoa palace, stand out as typical examples of a modern approach while still preserving traditional identity.

With the World Natural Heritage Ha Long Bay, in addition to its commitments to UNESCO on heritage conservation and promotion, Quang Ninh province is well aware of the role and importance of local communities in heritage environmental protection; at the same time, it closely follows the guidelines for implementing the World Heritage Convention in promoting and encouraging the active participation of communities and stakeholders in heritage as a necessary condition for protecting, conserving, managing and interpreting heritage in a sustainable manner. According to Mr. Vu Kien Cuong, Head of Ha Long Bay Management Board, over the past 30 years since Ha Long Bay was listed as a world heritage site, one of the important solutions prioritized by Quang Ninh province is to promote propaganda andeducation to raise awareness of local communities on heritage environmental protection for all subjects, with special attention paid to heritage environmental protection education for the younger generation. Since the 2000-2001 school year, Quang Ninh province has introduced the heritage protection education program into the curriculum at all three levels of general education in all schools in the localities along the coast of Ha Long Bay. The province has also directed the successful organization of the Ecoboat ecological boat education model - an extracurricular activity on environmental protection in Ha Long Bay since 2005 with the motto of playing while learning, learning while playing... Many initiatives and environmental protection programs in the above areas and along the coast of the bay have received active and proactive participation from the local community.

Vietnam's strong message about responsibility for heritage conservation

According to architect Hoang Viet Trung, the preservation of the Hue Monuments Complex and many other world-recognized cultural heritages over the years is not only about preserving historical architectural works but also about the comprehensive restoration of cultural values, art and traditional craft techniques. For example, Thai Hoa Palace and Kien Trung Tower are two typical works in the restoration of Nguyen Dynasty relics. Through the methodical restoration process, these two works not only regained their original appearance but also became a lively practice environment for the next generations of artisans. The traditional craft of making glazed tiles, gilding, enamel, and lacquer... has been restored thanks to the direct participation of experienced artisans, combined with scientific research methods. This is not only about preserving ancient techniques but also about maintaining the flow of national cultural heritage. Preserving relics cannot stop at restoring the physical form but must also pay attention to the human factor - the artisans are the "living treasures" that help the heritage continue to "breathe" and exist sustainably.

At the international scientific conference with the theme “Protecting and promoting the values ​​of world heritage with a community-based approach for sustainable development” recently held in Hanoi, Head of the UNESCO Office in Hanoi - Mr. Jonathan Baker assessed that Vietnam has done a good job in protecting and promoting heritage, in which the community is the center. According to him, to promote the role of the community, localities need to ensure the welfare and sustainable livelihoods of local communities as well as people living in and around world heritage sites; empower through capacity building and sharing conservation knowledge, and promote the resilience of heritage to climate change based on indigenous knowledge.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/cong-dong-nam-giu-phat-huy-ben-vung-di-san-830085