Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex - The Gem of World Heritage in Vietnam

Trang An scenic complex is a mysterious natural area, unaffected by human activities.

On June 23, 2014, in Doha (Qatar), the World Heritage Committee of the United NationsEducational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially listed Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex (Ninh Binh) as a World Heritage Site - the first mixed heritage of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The outstanding global value of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was recognized by the World Heritage Committee based on three criteria, namely cultural criteria, aesthetic beauty and geomorphology. After more than 9 years of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the management, conservation, exploitation and promotion of the values of Trang An Heritage have achieved many positive results.

*Boat dock of Trang An eco-tourism area.*

Accordingly, the outstanding global values and other values of the Heritage are respected and preserved, the awareness of local authorities and the community about the role and importance of the Heritage is significantly raised, scientific research work is promoted. The work of promoting, advertising and interpreting the values of the Heritage associated with tourism development is regularly innovated; tourist areas and spots in the Heritage area have truly played a core role, promoting tourism development throughout Ninh Binh province. In particular, the role and participation of the community in the conservation of the Heritage has changed positively; tourism activities and livelihoods are ensured, the material and spiritual life of the community has been gradually improved. The shift in economic structure from agriculture to tourism services towards green and sustainable growth has promoted the vitality, potential and value of the Heritage so that the Heritage truly belongs to the community, is protected and preserved by the community.

To achieve this result, over the past years, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the National Cultural Heritage Council, the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee, the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex Management Board and domestic and international agencies and scientists have promoted research and identification of heritage values, contributing to interpreting the outstanding global values of the Heritage. In particular, the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex Management Board of Ninh Binh Province has made great efforts to protect the heritage from the impacts of nature and humans, preserving the outstanding global values of the heritage. Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is a mysterious natural area, unaffected by human activities. The forests are still wild, the lakes and streams are clear, the air is fresh, the countryside is quiet, there are only the sounds and colors of nature.

*Water pavilion in Trang An eco-tourism area.*

The Trang An karst landscape is one of the most beautiful and spectacular areas with the most supernatural beauty in the world with a variety of shapes. The landscape consists mainly of a series of conical karst towers, with steep cliffs 200 m high compared to the surrounding ground. The Trang An scenic complex is also an outstanding model of the interaction between humans and the environment over time in the Southeast Asian region, having developed over more than 30,000 years, a place of invaluable historical and cultural value, an intact repository of information on human habitation traditions, and is one of the few valuable sites in Southeast Asia that retains its original characteristics and is not greatly affected by humans and other factors. Archaeological studies and reconstruction of the ancient environment have revealed a chain of cultural development and activities of ancient people in close relationship with geological evolution. From a series of relics and artifacts found, it has been confirmed that this land has always been used as a human settlement.

Since the formation of the alluvial plains, residents have settled down, exploiting resources from the sea, from the mountains and forests. They lived outdoors, in caves, and deep in the core of Trang An. By the 10th century, in Hoa Lu valley, Trang An residents continuously developed their cultural identity in close harmony with the natural landscape, built the capital, built citadels, closed Hoa Lu valley to revive culture, established the first three dynasties in an independent feudal system, and laid the foundation for forging Dai Viet civilization. The development of cultural identity has been passed down through generations, existing in the beauty of community religious traditions, deeply rooted in the subconscious, an indispensable part of spiritual life, becoming a heritage of "belief" that is now vividly expressed through a series of festivals in the Complex such as: Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival (6/1 Lunar calendar), Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival (10/3 Lunar calendar) or Saint Quy Minh Dai Vuong Festival (18/3 Lunar calendar)...

Visitors to Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex are traveling back in time to the golden features of history, immersing themselves in traditional spiritual culture, or floating on small boats rowed by local people, letting their souls wander in the beautiful landscape, strange caves and rocks, enjoying the pure and refined atmosphere, experiencing every level of emotion and discovering the distant roots of human life and discovering themselves.

*Archaeological site of Mr. Hay's rock shelter.*

Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex - a place of great inspiration, where nature and culture are inseparable, where culture interacts and is magically transformed, the mystery and splendor of the natural world creates a connection between the past and the present, between history and landscape, between nature and people, has become a symbol of Vietnamese culture on the rise, so that the world turns to Trang An and Trang An blends into the world. Source: https://daidoanket.vn/quan-the-danh-thang-trang-an-vien-ngoc-quy-cua-di-san-the-gioi-tai-viet-nam-10255724.html