Trang An will continue to be written through sustainable conservation cooperation activities for humanity.

After 10 years of being recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex has become a clear demonstration of an inevitable trend, which is the core connecting heritage tourism between provinces, regions, and even further, between countries. A decade of being recognized, Trang An has created new values to connect the indigenous and modern, of the past urban area with the future urban area on the basis of effective, harmonious, and sustainable conservation of heritage values.

Pride of Trang An

Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh - a place of mountains and rivers interspersed with poetic streams, stands out with the most beautiful karst landscape in the world, covered by primeval tropical forests, skillfully blending magically with rice fields surrounding the rivers, creating a colorful natural-cultural space with the tradition of human settlement over 30,000 years. Not only containing a massive and rich archive of documents about prehistoric humanity, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is also the place chosen by national history to locate Hoa Lu Capital, the capital of Dai Co Viet State, the first centralized feudal state of Vietnam in the 10th century.

Ninh Binh people, with pride in their homeland, always work hard to preserve the precious values of Trang An Heritage, adding to the eternal wonder picture, making the "heritage pearl" increasingly pure, spreading to everywhere.

Attending the 10th Anniversary of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy, Ninh Xuan Commune, Hoa Lu District, emotionally shared: 10 years ago, we were farmers with muddy hands and feet. Since Trang An was recognized as a World Heritage Site, tourists from all over the world have come to my hometown. Not only creating opportunities for us to change our lives for the better, tourism also changes the thinking of farmers about preserving the landscape and cultural and historical values of their homeland. Tourism also brings us understanding, civilization and makes us stronger. We will pass on all that pride to future generations to continue the tradition of our ancestors, continue to protect the values of heritage, to preserve not only for the country but also for the world.

According to Dr. Vu The Long, former Head of the Human and Environmental Research Department of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, "Trang An is Trang An", not "Vietnam's Guilin", nor "Ha Long on land" as some people like to compare. Because Trang An has special, unique values; preserving and promoting geological, geomorphological, cultural and historical values is the responsibility of the local government, the people of Ninh Binh in particular and the people of the whole country in general.

After a decade of becoming a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, Trang An has been evaluated by UNESCO as a model in the management, conservation and promotion of outstanding global values of the heritage, becoming a symbol and endogenous resource for socio-economic development, inspiring enthusiasm, national pride and aspirations of generations of Ninh Binh people.

This is also an opportunity to promote exchange activities, create opportunities to connect cultural heritage with localities, strengthen the spirit of solidarity, cohesion and development cooperation, narrow the gap in cultural enjoyment between localities, regions and the world, so that Ninh Binh continues to become an ideal model, as the purpose of the program to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage is aiming for.

Comrade Bui Van Manh, Director of the Department of Tourism, assessed: This event aims to honor, promote and disseminate the values of heritage, promote cultural exchange, develop local socio-economic, towards building Ninh Binh into a centrally-run city with the characteristics of a Millennium Heritage City. At the same time, it inspires love for the homeland and country to respect and be proud of the historical land of Hoa Lu, the position and importance of heritage for each country, ethnic group and humanity.

Trang An in a new chapter of history

Looking back 10 years after being recognized as a World Heritage Site, this is the right time for Ninh Binh to seek new solutions to build and preserve the outstanding global values of the heritage, continue to innovate, apply quality tourism products, bring cultural depth and more distinction. Not simply to serve visitors but to interpret heritage values in a more authentic, vivid and scientific way. Therefore, in the new chapter of history, Ninh Binh chooses the direction of development with the Millennium Heritage City including both the World Heritage City and the Creative City, relying on the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex for economy and heritage tourism. This is considered the right direction of new-style urbanization in breakthrough development strategies.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Thuc, Hanoi National University, calculated the potential value for Ninh Binh's heritage economy according to Noonan's formula (2003) compiled from 129 cultural sites as follows: 5-7 million tourists/year x 42.78 USD (willingness to pay for tourism/person) = 192-300 million USD/year. If calculating the variable (t) over time, for example after 10 years, the potential value of Ninh Binh's heritage tourism could reach more than 3 billion USD/year, or about 75,000 billion VND/year. "If (Ninh Binh) chooses the development orientation of a Millennium Heritage City - the only symbol in Vietnam, the potential tourism payment of tourists could reach 12 billion USD/year" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Thuc affirmed.

But the question is how to exploit this tourism potential? This is also the desire and concern of Ninh Binh province, looking for solutions to build quality and different tourism products, turning heritage into assets. Suggesting this question, Mr. Phung Quang Thang, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said: Trang An is not only in the world heritage system but also a connecting point with tourist centers, other heritage sites along with other systems of ecological and humanistic tourism potential that support each other. It is completely based on orienting Ninh Binh province to develop tourism into a spearhead of the local economy, at the same time, strengthening regional linkages, linking with domestic and international heritage cities to form a solid network, together preserving and developing. Therefore, Ninh Binh needs to strengthen regional linkages, linking with domestic and international heritage cities to form a solid network, together preserving and developing.

We are proud and confident that Ninh Binh will rise to become a major center of tourism, cultural industry, national and international heritage economy, a centrally-governed city with the characteristics and core values of a Millennium Heritage City, a creative city, contributing to the common prosperity of Vietnam and the world. On behalf of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Ms. Simona Mirela Miculescu, President of the 42nd UNESCO General Assembly, expressed: I hope that the next ten years in the history of Trang An will continue to be written with cooperation, conservation and a common vision of a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone.

Song Nguyen-Minh Hai

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