Hanoi Pho on the journey to build a world heritage dossier to submit to UNESCO

TPO - Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism - said that after pho was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, the protection and promotion of heritage values ​​plays an important role, especially linking the traditional values ​​of pho with the trend of creativity and innovation. Hanoi will coordinate with a number of localities to build a scientific dossier on pho heritage to submit to UNESCO.

Pho heritage in modern context

Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Economic & Urban Newspaper in collaboration with Viet Hung Ward People's Committee, Vietnam UNESCO Center for Culinary Culture, Tasco Mall Center organized a series of activities "Pho - Intangible cultural story in the creative industry flow" to strengthen the management, protection and promotion of the value of pho intangible cultural heritage after it was listed in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Anh Mai said that the series of activities "Pho - Intangible cultural stories in the creative industry flow" contributes to promoting the exploitation and promotion of culinary cultural values ​​in the development of tourism and cultural industry in the capital.

Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, spoke at the seminar on pho heritage.

Folk knowledge about Hanoi pho was included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2024. Pho is the crystallization of folk knowledge, processing skills and typical enjoyment habits of Hanoi people, containing the cultural quintessence of the capital, reflecting the length of history, ingenuity and sophistication in Hanoi's culinary culture. The inscription is both an opportunity to honor the cultural, historical and scientific values ​​of the heritage, and at the same time sets out requirements for the work of protecting, teaching, promoting and developing the value of heritage in the current context.

“In implementing Resolution No. 09 of the Hanoi Party Committee on developing cultural industries in the capital for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030 and a vision to 2045, the protection and promotion of the value of pho intangible cultural heritage plays a particularly important role. Linking the traditional value of pho with the trend of creativity and innovation in the cultural industry is a sustainable direction, helping the heritage to both promote its value and preserve its traditional identity, thereby contributing to realizing the strategic goals of cultural, economic and social development of the capital,” said Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai.

The Hanoi People's Committee recently proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to ask for the Prime Minister's permission to allow Hanoi to coordinate with provinces and cities with pho heritage to build a scientific dossier to request UNESCO to include pho in the list of representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Managers, experts and businesses discuss the development path of pho heritage in the contemporary flow.

Mr. Yokoyama Hiroya - representative of the coordinating organization - emphasized: "We are deeply aware that each bowl of pho introduced and each activity associated with pho carried out is part of the journey to preserve and spread traditional cultural values."

For more than 30 years in Vietnam, this unit has continuously researched and improved to bring the taste of pho closer to consumers, while preserving the original essence and meeting modern needs. “In the flow of creative industry, Vietnamese pho is not only a dish, but also an endless inspiration for artistic creation, cultural industry and tourism industry,” said Mr. Yokoyama Hiroya.

Experts believe that pho develops on its own path, from traditional spaces to knowledge associated with heritage.

Robots cannot replace traditional knowledge of cooking pho.

Dr. Pham Cao Quy - Deputy Head of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage Management, Department of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - commented that Vietnamese cuisine is extremely wonderful and diverse in culture. Food is one of the elements of intangible cultural heritage.

“Registering cultural heritages for preservation is a core trend to connect with people’s livelihoods, heritage owners, and cultural life. The registration will help heritage owners develop and enhance their livelihoods to a new level,” Mr. Quy said.

The story of Pho always has its own appeal, there are many brands in different localities, but it cannot be denied that Pho is a dish that domestic and foreign tourists when coming to Hanoi want to enjoy.

Culinary researcher, Dr. Vu The Long, believes that the value of Vietnamese pho is everlasting. “Pho is one of the dishes that most reflects the Vietnamese ego. Pho can be eaten all four seasons, at any time: morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. Therefore, pho is a dish of Hanoi. I say Hanoi first because pho is a dish that was born 100 years ago in Hanoi and it has been developed, preserved, passed down, and has a very special nuance, which is a personal nuance,” said Mr. Vu The Long.

Supporting Hanoi in building a pho cultural space, Associate Professor Dr. Bui Hoai Son - Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society - said that for Hanoi - a UNESCO Creative City, honoring pho is not just about preserving a flavor, but about creating a creative cultural ecosystem where heritage is connected with economy, art, tourism and technology.

Hanoi and many localities build a dossier on Vietnamese pho - a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

"The construction of the Pho Hanoi Cultural Space will be a concrete expression of this strategy. This is a project that both preserves and paves the way for creativity, connecting the past and the future. This is not only a place to display, but also a place to inspire; not only a destination for tourists, but also a starting point for new cultural ideas," said Mr. Son.

Head of the Cultural Department of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam Pham Thi Thanh Huong affirmed that pho is already an international noun, requiring no translation. She emphasized that Vietnamese pho, with its sophisticated processing knowledge and unique culture of enjoyment, meets all the criteria to become a representative heritage of humanity. Vietnam can be completely confident that pho has the potential to be recognized by UNESCO in the future. The positive impact of recognition is not only about the brand, but also an opportunity for pho to become a "cultural ambassador" of Vietnam.

On October 11 and 12, at Tasco Mall, the following activities will take place: Display of Pho spice space; Exhibition of history and cultural space of Hanoi Pho; Traditional art performance; Exhibition of sketches of intangible heritage of Pho by students of Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts. At the space to introduce and enjoy Hanoi's intangible cultural heritage, held outdoors, there will be participation in demonstrations of the Pho cooking process, and experiences of dishes from famous Pho brands such as: Pho Thin Hang Tre, Pho Long Bich, Pho Khoi Hoi...

Source: https://tienphong.vn/pho-ha-noi-tren-hanh-trinh-xay-dung-ho-so-di-san-the-gioi-trinh-unesco-post1786266.tpo