Difficulties piled up.
On July 12th, at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, the Chairman of the session officially struck the gavel to recognize the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, and Kiet Bac complex of historical sites and scenic spots as a World Cultural Heritage site.
Recounting this arduous journey, Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh province, said that since 2013, Quang Ninh province had begun building the heritage dossier and submitting it to the Ministry of Culture for consideration. At that time, the Government instructed that two more provinces, Bac Giang and Hai Duong (formerly), be invited to participate.
Mr. Dung added that in 2019, when foreign experts came to survey the area, they assessed that the population's profile only had potential but lacked the conditions for further development.
The area where the statue of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong is located at the Yen Tu scenic spot.
In 2020, Quang Ninh province restarted the process of building the World Heritage site dossier, but the Covid-19 pandemic hit, so it only officially became operational in 2023.
In 2024, when submitted to UNESCO, the dossier of the complex had three points raised by the UNESCO Committee: the dossier did not clearly demonstrate its universal value, did not verify its outstanding universal value, and its continuity was not satisfactory.
"In April, when I joined a delegation from three provinces to France to build and protect the dossier for the Yen Tu, Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, and Kiet Bac complex of historical and scenic sites, the situation was extremely difficult. UNESCO's inscription process has four levels, and the dossier for the complex was at that time in the category of being returned for submission the following year or five years later. After returning from France, the delegation was very worried, thinking that it would be a great pity if the dossier, prepared over 13 years, were to be returned to square one," Mr. Dung confided.
Throughout the year, Yen Tu scenic area continues to attract many visitors who come to worship and admire the scenery.
Elaborating on these difficulties, Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, stated that the dossier related to the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect is incomplete. Because of this, the matter has remained stalled for 13 years, and in April of this year, UNESCO almost returned the dossier.
During a conversation with Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo (Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre) at the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee headquarters, Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet highlighted the cultural values of the complex of historical relics. Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo expressed regret that the information provided by Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet had not been included in the dossier submitted to UNESCO earlier.
A view of Yen Tu scenic area from above.
"During an online meeting, a representative from UNESCO's ICOMUS Center made it clear that even if Vietnam were to present their case, they would maintain their previous stance, which saddened me greatly," said Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet.
On June 9th, Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet and his delegation continued to bring the dossier of the complex to France to submit to UNESCO.
After hearing Vietnam's presentation on the Yen Tu, Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, and Kiet Bac complex of historical and scenic sites, the ambassadors of 20 other UNESCO member countries fully agreed and requested its inscription as a World Heritage Site.
Some ambassadors from various countries also expressed their desire for the three harmonies (reconciliation, harmony, and peace) of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong to be implemented more strongly, given the current wars occurring in some countries.
Promoting the value of inter-regional heritage
According to Mr. Truong Quang Hai, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province, the complex of historical and scenic sites including Yen Tu, Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, and Kiet Bac is the first heritage site spanning a very wide area across three provinces: Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, and Hai Phong city.
UNESCO is also concerned about how the three provinces will coordinate the management of this complex after it is inscribed as a World Heritage site. This is the first time Bac Ninh has had a site inscribed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Therefore, Bac Ninh will closely cooperate with Quang Ninh and Hai Phong City in establishing a management and protection system for the heritage site, following the direction of the National Heritage Council, and developing a comprehensive plan for the conservation of the World Heritage site to maximize its value.
At the same time, continue to increase investment in the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of these relics in accordance with the principles of world heritage preservation; coordinate the development of a heritage promotion strategy to raise awareness of the value of this globally outstanding complex.
"After the merger, Bac Ninh has become a culturally rich region with 7 UNESCO-recognized heritage sites, 11 special national monuments, nearly 4,000 listed relics, and nearly 1,400 ranked relics. Being recognized as a World Heritage site is a very prestigious certification for cultural and spiritual tourism products. This will be a key tourism product of the Kinh Bac region," Mr. Hai said.
Dong Pagoda, a scenic spot in Yen Tu, is always crowded during the first days of the year.
According to Mr. Vu Dinh Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong City, becoming a world heritage site brings many potentials and advantages, but also very heavy pressure on management.
Managing the area is very difficult because the heritage sites are interconnected across three provinces and cities. For Hai Phong City alone, there are five sites located in different localities, making management very challenging.
However, prior to this, the former Hai Duong province had already restructured the Con Son and Kiet Bac Relic Management Boards to operate and manage the World Heritage sites. Hai Phong City has determined that it must strengthen communication and promotion efforts to ensure that the values of the heritage reach domestic and international tourists.
The forests of yellow apricot blossoms in Yen Tu seem to put on a new coat every spring.
Mr. Tien added that Hai Phong City is developing many tourism products at sites recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. Hai Phong City has conducted initial surveys and developed three tour packages: Following in the Footsteps of the Three Founders of Truc Lam, Exploring the Heritage of Con Son and Kiet Bac , and a tour encompassing five destinations in one itinerary.
According to Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ninh province, since 2024, the three provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh and Hai Phong City have signed a cooperation agreement to jointly preserve these three heritage sites. This document clearly defines the responsibilities of each locality and each unit that owns the heritage sites.
Quang Ninh province has taken the lead in coordinating with the former Hai Duong and Bac Giang provinces to issue a plan to jointly protect and preserve the value of the heritage.
Of the nine newly inscribed heritage sites, the complex of historical and scenic sites of Yen Tu, Vinh Nghiem, Con Son, and Kiet Bac is the most unique because it has many relics spread out and intertwined with the living communities and natural forests.
Photo: Pham Cong
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hanh-trinh-tro-thanh-di-san-the-gioi-cua-yen-tu-vinh-nghiem-con-son-kiep-bac-2433759.html
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