At 13:02 on July 12, 2025 (Paris time), or 18:02 on July 12, 2025 (Vietnam time), at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee (UNESCO) taking place from July 6 to 16 in Paris, France, Professor Nikolay Nenov (Bulgaria) - Chairman of the Session officially rapped the hammer to recognize the Complex of Monuments and Landscapes of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac (located in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh and Hai Phong city) as a World Cultural Heritage.
This is the 9th World Heritage in Vietnam recognized by UNESCO and the 2nd inter-provincial World Heritage in Vietnam, along with the World Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago (in Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city).
In the joyful atmosphere at the Session, leaders and experts from UNESCO member countries warmly congratulated the Vietnamese delegation on the occasion of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex becoming a World Cultural Heritage.
The Complex of Monuments and Scenic Landscapes of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac, with Truc Lam Buddhism as its core, was founded in the 13th century by the Tran Dynasty kings, especially the role of Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong. Truc Lam Buddhism has created many values, making special and sustainable contributions to the cultural and spiritual heritage of humanity.
Originating from the sacred Yen Tu mountain landscape, Truc Lam Buddhism represents a philosophical system and the spirit of tolerance and altruism of Buddhism. Truc Lam Buddhism is also a testament to the harmonious combination of Mahayana Buddhism with Confucian ethics, Taoist cosmology and indigenous Vietnamese beliefs.
The ideological and cultural values of Truc Lam Buddhism are completely consistent with UNESCO's basic goals in maintaining and enriching the common values of humanity: Education, building a culture of peace ; spirit of self-reliance, harmonious combination between humans and the natural world, respecting the laws of nature.
Through temples, hermitages, pilgrimage routes, stone steles, woodblocks and other carefully preserved relics distributed over a large area from Yen Tu to Vinh Nghiem and Con Son - Kiep Bac, the heritage fully reflects the stages of development of Truc Lam Buddhism: from its establishment and institutionalization to its revival and continued spread of creative and humanistic values. These relic sites, formed many centuries ago, always demonstrate continued development, playing the role of religious and spiritual cultural centers, and pilgrimage destinations for millions of visitors each year.
The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex, recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage according to criteria (iii) and (vi), is evidence of the unique combination of the state, religion and people in the formation of the Vietnamese national identity; along with the sacred landscape formed through frequent and close interactions with nature; and an ethical system based on the love of peace, self-cultivation, tolerance, kindness and harmony between humans and nature.
Criterion (iii): The harmonious combination of State, religion and people's community developed from the mountainous homeland of Yen Tu has created a unique cultural tradition of global significance, shaping national identity, promoting peace and security in the wider region.
The relic and scenic complex of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac is a special testament to Truc Lam Buddhism, a unique Zen tradition of Vietnam founded in the 13th century by Tran kings, royals and wise monks, especially Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, the only known monarch in Asia who gave up the throne to become a monk, founding a Zen sect imbued with the philosophy of life and Vietnamese character.
Integrating Mahayana Buddhism with Confucianism, Taoism and indigenous beliefs, Truc Lam Buddhism has contributed to forming the spiritual foundation of Dai Viet nation, creating momentum for the rise of an autonomous and self-reliant nation, while promoting cultural dialogue and the spirit of peaceful friendship among nations. For centuries, the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex has always played an important role in practicing, transmitting, spreading and creating culture. The spirit of tolerance and creativity of Truc Lam Buddhism has inspired and brought humanistic values to the domestic and international communities.
Criterion (vi): Truc Lam Buddhism is a globally significant example of how a religion, derived from many beliefs, originating and developing in its homeland of Yen Tu, has influenced secular society to promote a strong nation, ensuring peace and regional cooperation.
The relic and scenic complex of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac is directly related to the birth and spread of the creative and humanistic values of Truc Lam Buddhism. The continuous organization of rituals, festivals, propagation of Buddhism and pilgrimages to relic sites - both in Vietnam and international Truc Lam Buddhist organizations - proves the sustainable global relevance of the philosophy of life, life values, social community spirit, living in harmony with nature, love of peace and compassion.
The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex fully represents the Truc Lam Buddhist tradition, from its establishment in the sacred mountain of Yen Tu Mountain as evidenced by ancient temples and archaeological sites, to the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site; and the systematization of philosophies expressed through steles, related relics and ritual practices. These relics provide a full representation of the historical, spiritual and geographical dimensions of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, clearly demonstrating the process of formation, development, and the sustainable relationship of tangible and intangible cultural values and documentary heritage in historical and cultural spaces.
The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex includes a system of relics belonging to special national relics that have been ranked by the Prime Minister (including: Yen Tu relic and landscape complex, Tran Dynasty relic site in Dong Trieu, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Bo Da Pagoda, Con Son - Kiep Bac relic site, An Phu - Kinh Chu - Nham Duong historical and scenic relics), national relics that have been ranked by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Thanh Mai Pagoda...) and relics, antiques, national treasures, intangible cultural heritage, traditional festivals in the area... along with the landscape with the system of mountains and forests and the cultural space of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac will be protected in a long-term, sustainable manner and their values will be promoted in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage and the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Dr. Architect Hoang Dao Cuong emphasized that to achieve this success, for many years now, the system of relics and intangible cultural heritages of localities has received special attention from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the provinces through the implementation of many projects to preserve and restore relic works; research, identify values to prepare nomination and registration dossiers domestically and internationally; contribute to protecting the outstanding global value of the heritage site, improving the cultural and spiritual life of the local community and people.
At the same time, the Deputy Minister was pleased to inform the Session that Vietnam will continue to implement activities to protect and promote the values of World Heritage in a sustainable manner, implementing a model of good management of World Heritage in Vietnam, a spirit that has been demonstrated by the fact that on November 23, 2024, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam passed the Law on Cultural Heritage 2024, along with documents guiding its implementation (including supplementing the internalization of UNESCO's sustainable development perspectives in the spirit of the World Heritage Convention, providing regulations on heritage impact assessment in the context of World Heritage, developing a World Heritage Management and Protection Plan; linking the conservation of relics with the protection of intangible cultural heritage at World Heritage sites, with the goal of serving local communities better and better...).
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/danh-thang-yen-tu-vinh-nghiem-con-son-kiep-bac-duoc-unesco-ghi-danh-vao-danh-muc-di-san-van-hoa-the-gioi-151578.html
Comment (0)