The legal framework for preserving this type of heritage is becoming increasingly transparent, contributing significantly to the journey of honoring these special memory values.
A priceless treasure
Preserving dozens of royal decrees from the reigns of Emperors Minh Mạng, Thiệu Trị, Tự Đức, and Thành Thái, along with numerous Hán Nôm documents, paintings, manuscripts, and ancient books, the Nguyễn Tường clan church in Hội An is an impressive destination for many tourists. Mr. Đặng Hưng Tùng, the son-in-law of the family and also a tour guide at the site, said that the royal decrees have been preserved by the family for generations as precious treasures.
While the royal decrees at the Nguyen Tuong family residence demonstrate a tradition of scholarly pursuit and academic achievement, hundreds of other royal decrees at temples and shrines showcase the richness of Hoi An's traditional culture.
According to Mr. Nguyen Chi Trung, former Director of the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, a historian, and the editor-in-chief of books on Han Nom heritage in Hoi An, Hoi An has currently collected and copied more than 2,000 pages of original documents, more than 4,500 pages of copied documents, 500 rubbings of stelae, 800 woodblock prints, and 63 royal decrees… This is a considerable source of documentary heritage, contributing to the identification and clarification of Hoi An's outstanding global historical and cultural value.
More broadly, previous investigations by the former Quang Nam Center for Management of Historical Sites and Scenic Spots revealed a rich collection of Han-Nom (Sino-Vietnamese) heritage in former Quang Nam, with over 450 stone inscriptions, 1,200 royal decrees, and 6,000 horizontal plaques and couplets. Besides Han-Nom documentary heritage, Quang Nam also possesses hundreds of Cham inscriptions and stelae – considered the oldest documentary heritage of the region.
Meanwhile, besides the system of rock carvings at Ngu Hanh Son, which is recognized as a regional documentary heritage of the Asia- Pacific region, the former Da Nang city also possesses a large number of royal decrees and ancient documents. In 2021, the Da Nang Museum began digitizing over 300 royal decrees from village communal houses, gradually carrying out the inventory and preservation of these folk documentary heritage items.
Opportunities for documentary heritage
The amended Law on Cultural Heritage will come into effect on July 1, 2025. Regarding documentary heritage, this law adds provisions on the preservation, restoration, and management of data, while also enhancing the role of digital transformation in the management and protection of heritage.
Notably, the law no longer restricts documentary heritage to community spaces but extends it to documents preserved within families, religions, and individuals. The UNESCO inscription of musician Hoang Van's collection as a World Documentary Heritage opens up opportunities for valuable documents that many families are preserving.
For a region like Da Nang, which boasts a large collection of Han Nom (Sino-Vietnamese) heritage, ancient texts, inscriptions, as well as urban and port documents, and documents on urbanization, having a legal framework for the preservation of documentary heritage is considered a golden opportunity.
However, according to cultural experts, Quang Nam province is one of the regions in Central Vietnam that suffers from severe natural disasters. Floods, mold, and extreme heat all significantly affect various forms of documentary heritage. Therefore, after conducting an inventory of documentary heritage, finding appropriate preservation methods is a necessary step.
The amended Law on Cultural Heritage places digitization at the center, specifically requiring the digitization, updating, and backup of documentary heritage on the national database system to serve the management, protection, and promotion of its value in the electronic environment as stipulated. Currently, Da Nang is focusing on digitizing documentary heritage, both tangible and intangible, especially Han Nom documents and the rock carvings of Ngu Hanh Son.
Recently, to commemorate the 26th anniversary of Hoi An Ancient Town being recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (December 4th), the Hoi An Heritage Conservation Center organized a documentary heritage exhibition titled "Touches of Time". The exhibition showcases images of representative stele inscriptions from the system of communal houses, temples, shrines, assembly halls, and ancestral churches in Hoi An, aiming to help viewers and tourists explore and understand the historical, cultural, and artistic value of the stele inscriptions in particular, as well as the depth of Hoi An Ancient Town's heritage in general.
Source: https://baodanang.vn/mo-canh-cua-bao-ton-di-san-tu-lieu-3314849.html
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