Efforts to preserve heritage values
On September 16, 2023, Cat Ba archipelago, along with Ha Long Bay, was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage - the first inter-provincial heritage of Vietnam. Then, on July 12, 2025, the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son and Kiep Bac complex was honored as a World Heritage, making Hai Phong the first locality in the country to have two inter-provincial heritages. This is a sustainable legal basis for the conservation and promotion of heritage, not only domestically but also internationally.
Along with that, the rich system of national treasures has been affirming the unique cultural identity of the coastal city.
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Associate Professor Dr. Do Van Tru, Chairman of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, highly appreciated the efforts to preserve the national treasure system in Hai Phong city, especially the An Bien collection of collector Tran Dinh Thang with more than 500 rare artifacts, including 18 national treasures recognized in 3 periods. He suggested that Hai Phong promote cooperation between the State, scientists and private collectors, moving towards forming a private antiquities museum to spread the value.
From 2020 to 2025, before the merger, Hai Phong invested nearly 38 billion VND to renovate and embellish 16 national relics, 54 city-level relics, and mobilized more than 146 billion VND from social resources. Hai Duong implemented 181 restorations and embellishments of relics, with a total cost of more than 3,000 billion VND, restoring many works associated with famous people and important events, creating cultural and spiritual tourism highlights.
Not only focusing on tangible heritage, localities also promote the value of intangible heritage. Hai Phong maintains the Red Flamboyant Festival, Trang Trinh Temple Festival, Le Chan Female General Festival... Hai Duong (old) has Con Son - Kiep Bac Festival, Cao An Phu Temple, Trinh Xuyen Communal House... These festivals meet cultural and spiritual needs, and at the same time become unique tourism products, promoting the image of the land.
Notably, the projects “Television Stage”, “Street Music”, “Lighting Up the City Theater” and performing arts for workers and laborers have clarified the position of Hai Phong performing arts, contributing to preserving and promoting heritage values in contemporary life.
Promoting heritage values in contemporary life
After the merger, Hai Phong city currently has 3,981 relics; including 2 world heritages, 9 special national relics, 257 national relics, 722 city-level relics; 1,289 festivals; 2 UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritages; 24 national intangible cultural heritages; 33 national treasures; 2 People's Artisans and 46 Distinguished Artisans.
Looking back at the period 2020-2025, Hai Phong heritage is not only preserved as a “historical witness”, but also becomes a vibrant part of modern life. The event of UNESCO consecutively honoring two heritage complexes demonstrates the strategic vision of the leaders and social consensus.
Currently, many other dossiers are being prepared, aiming to UNESCO to honor outstanding figures such as Trang Trinh Nguyen Binh Khiem and Zen Master Tue Tinh, contributing to spreading Vietnamese intelligence.
The combination of the State budget and socialization has brought a new look to hundreds of relics. Two resolutions of the City People's Council (2017 and 2022) have created a transparent mechanism for financial support, with nearly 70 billion VND of budget, thereby mobilizing more than 340 billion VND of socialization. This not only saves many degraded works, but also revives traditional cultural spaces, folk festivals and community spiritual life.
Another highlight is linking heritage with socio-economic development. When heritage becomes a tourism product, it brings practical benefits such as: economic growth, job creation, and improving people's lives. Combining heritage with a green and sustainable tourism strategy helps Hai Phong city to form a large-scale sea, cultural, and spiritual tourism center, connecting inter-regionally and internationally.
However, cultural and tourism infrastructure in some places is still lacking in synchronization, cultural industry has not made many marks, and the development progress of major tourist areas such as Cat Ba and Do Son has not been commensurate with their potential. This is a challenge that needs to be resolved in the near future.
According to the orientation, in the 2025-2030 period, the city strives to have 5-7 more special national relics, 2-3 national intangible heritage dossiers; prepare dossiers to submit to UNESCO; develop cultural industries, and build unique tourism products.
“Cultural identity expressed through heritage is the foundation of soft power, creating momentum for the new Hai Phong city to develop sustainably and integrate deeply. With political determination, long-term vision and social consensus, historical cultural heritage will enrich national identity, enhance the position of the city and the country in the international arena” - Comrade Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Member of the City Party Committee, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong emphasized.
The city is preparing to build three major projects, of which the projects "Hai Phong - City of Music" and "Preserving and promoting the value of component relics in the world heritage complex of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac" are expected to be "leverages" to promote sustainable cultural and tourism industries, contributing to promoting heritage values in modern life.
Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/hai-phong-tao-dau-an-moi-trong-phat-huy-gia-tri-di-san-521064.html
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