This month celebrates the 35th anniversary of Vietnam's official accession to the Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Since the country ratified the Convention, eight of its cultural, natural, and mixed heritages have been added to the World Heritage list: Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh), Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh), Complex of Hue Monuments (Thua Thien Hue), Hoi An Ancient Town (Quang Nam), My Son Sanctuary (Quang Nam), Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (Hanoi), Ho Dynasty citadel (Thanh Hoa), and the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex (Ninh Binh).

Vietnam also holds seven 'documentary heritages' at the Asia-Pacific and global levels, according to the Memory of the World programme of UNESCO. The country is also home to nine global biosphere reserves.

The protection and promotion of the sites have greatly contributed to Vietnam's socio-economic development, particularly in tourism, serving practical and long-term benefits.

According to the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there were only tens of thousands of travellers when the Hue monuments were freshly registered as a global cultural and natural heritage many years ago.

To date, it has drawn millions of visitors.

The figures also reveal that while the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex had about 1 million visitors when it applied to be designated as a World Heritage site in 2012, it had garnered more than 6.3 million visits by 2019, following 5 years of being recognised by UNESCO.

In the province of Quang Nam, the preservation of Hoi An ancient town, in association with the expansion of tourism, services, and commerce, has aided the restructuring of the local economy.

The number of visitors rose from around 879,000 in 2006 to over 2.5 million in 2019.

Since Hoi An was designated a World Heritage site more than two decades ago, revenue from service tourism based on the exploitation of historical values has expanded substantially and currently accounts for more than 70 per cent of the ancient town's GDP.

These funds have contributed significantly to enhancing infrastructure, education, health, community safety, and preserving Hoi An.

Before the pandemic, the number of tourists visiting Quang Ninh's Ha Long Bay in 2019 reached 4.4 million, with roughly 2.9 million international visitors.

It didn't take long for tourism in Quang Ninh to bounce back once the province reopened after the pandemic.

During the first half of 2022, the province had 5 million visitors, up over 100 per cent. A total of VND10,000 billion was earned from tourists in the province, an increase of 122 per cent.

According to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, the World Heritage sites in Vietnam effectively contribute to sustainable economic and social development by creating local jobs, fostering community, boosting tourism, trade and investment, and promoting Vietnam's international reputation, culture, history, and traditions.

"Within the context of the UNESCO mechanism and the Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage in particular, Vietnam always performs well its membership duties," he said.

Active member

Throughout its 35-year engagement in the Convention, Vietnam has been an active and responsible member in implementing its duties to preserve and promote global heritage.

The country joined the Convention in 1987, and since then, it has worked closely with UNESCO on several programmes designed to aid local communities in preserving and developing their unique cultural practices.

Regarding international cooperation in cultural heritage, Vietnam has ratified the 1972 Convention, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), and the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression (2005).

Shortly, the country is expected to join the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001).

Vietnam also made significant progress in raising awareness of the importance of world cultural and natural assets. This is mirrored in the legal framework for cultural heritage, which is progressively being constructed in the spirit of the Convention.

World heritage management agencies are being consolidated from the national to the local levels. World heritage preservation resources are prioritised, deployed to the greatest extent possible, and always enlisted worldwide help to conserve world heritage.

In July, during the 9th General Assembly of the member states of the 2003 Convention, Vietnam was elected to the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage for 2022-2026 with the most votes.

This demonstrates the growing impact Vietnam is receiving for its efforts to protect and promote cultural artefacts at home and abroad. It is also a great chance for Vietnam to promote Vietnamese cultural values to the world community and keep positively contributing to UNESCO's key cultural programmes and orientations.

According to Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO, Vietnam is assuming this role at UNESCO's major cultural, regulatory body for the second time, following a previous term from 2006-2010.

Van noted that Vietnam would be in a prime position to make positive contributions to the development and execution of the aims and priorities of the 2003 Convention and to elevate the status of intangible cultural heritage during its tenure on the Intergovernmental Committee from 2022-2026.

She said this was a vital resource for variety, innovation, intercultural discussion, and social cohesion and a motivating factor for long-term progress. 

Source: Vietnam News