Proposal to adjust the protection zone of Oc Eo-Ba The relic to more than 1,480 hectares

On December 5, the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board of An Giang province coordinated with departments, branches, localities and consulting units to conduct a field survey to determine the location of the relic protection zone to ensure the requirements in managing and protecting the Oc Eo-Ba The Archaeological Relic Site according to the standards of the 1972 UNESCO Convention.

The activity helps the People's Committee of An Giang province supplement data, complete plans, and speed up the process of preparing dossiers to nominate the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site to submit to UNESCO for recognition as a World Cultural Heritage.

The survey was attended by representatives of departments and branches of An Giang province; military and police forces; People's Committee of Oc Eo and My Thuan communes (An Giang province); and the Institute for Monument Conservation (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) - the unit in charge of Package No. 3 "Preparing nomination dossiers and management plans for the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site in An Giang province to submit to UNESCO for recognition as a World Cultural Heritage."

Representatives of An Giang province's departments, branches and relevant units inspected the actual boundaries, determined coordinates and reviewed the areas within the protected area according to the criteria of the 1972 Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. (Photo: Cong Mao/VNA)

After conducting a direct field survey, the units checked the actual boundaries, determined the coordinates and reviewed the areas within the protected zoning area according to the criteria of the 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. All information was updated immediately on the zoning plan map to be completed after the survey.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhien, Director of the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board of An Giang province, said that up to now, the Management Board has compiled opinions from relevant agencies to complete the plan to delimit the protection of the relic. In particular, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has provided a new provincial administrative map and data on current land use status; at the same time, agreed on the delimitation plan and requested to continue to collect additional opinions from the cultural, tourism, construction, education, finance and local government sectors.

Notably, from the results of the field survey, the representative of the Department of Construction of An Giang province said that after merging the Oc Eo-Ba The and Giong Xoai relic clusters, the scale of the relic protection zone needs to be adjusted to be larger, with a total area of over 1,484 hectares, an increase of nearly 1,194 hectares compared to 433.2 hectares according to Decision No. 115/QDTTg dated January 23, 2021 approved by the Prime Minister.

"The area of the protected area of the expanded Oc Eo-Ba The relic (1,194 hectares) is located on many types of land according to the planning, so it is necessary to continue to review to ensure compliance with the general planning and current regulations before submitting it to the Provincial People's Committee for approval" - a representative of the Department of Construction of An Giang province emphasized.

At the end of the survey, the units met to agree on the contents and signed the confirmation on the map of the protected area of the relic. The Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board will continue to coordinate with the Institute of Monument Conservation to supplement data, complete the plan, and submit it to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and approval, ensuring that it meets the requirements of the UNESCO nomination dossier as soon as possible.

Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site is located in Oc Eo commune, An Giang province, with a total conservation planning area of about 433.1 hectares, of which the area of Ba The mountain slopes and foot (area A) is nearly 144 hectares, and Oc Eo field (area B) is over 289 hectares.

This is an important vestige of the Oc Eo civilization, which flourished in the Southern region from the 1st to the 7th century; one of the major trading centers of the ancient kingdom of Phu Nam, with a system of canals, architecture, and archaeological relics reflecting a high level of economic, cultural, and religious development. The entire An Giang province currently has more than 80 Oc Eo cultural relics.

Among them, Oc Eo-Ba The relic site is identified as having an important position, having been an urban area, a port, a major economic-cultural center of the ancient kingdom of Phu Nam. In 2012, Oc Eo-Ba The relic site was ranked as a special national relic site by the Prime Minister.

On October 18, 2021, the Prime Minister agreed in principle to send a summary report of the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site dossier to UNESCO to request it to be included in the tentative list of World Heritage dossiers.

According to the Director of the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board of An Giang province, Nguyen Van Nhien, the summary report of the nomination dossier for the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site as a World Cultural Heritage Site, phase 1, was completed on April 1, 2022. Currently, UNESCO has agreed to put the Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site on the Tentative List and prepare a dossier for nomination as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

Currently, An Giang province is urgently completing the dossier, supplementing documents and striving to officially submit the nomination dossier for Oc Eo-Ba The to UNESCO before January 25, 2026; at the same time, preparing facilities, renovating the relic, and preparing to welcome a group of UNESCO experts to conduct a field survey in 2026.

It is expected that in 2027, Vietnam will send a working delegation to protect the dossier at UNESCO and attend the 49th Session of the World Heritage Committee. This is considered an important step in the journey to bring the Oc Eo-Ba The relic site to the world, contributing to spreading the historical and cultural values of the land and people of An Giang province and Vietnam./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/de-xuat-dieu-chinh-khoanh-vung-bao-ve-di-tich-oc-eo-ba-the-len-hon-1480ha-post1081280.vnp