World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Le Thanh Vinh
Institute for Conservation of Monuments
Ministry of Culture and Information - Vietnam
 World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Vietnam has diversified cultural heritage system, spreading over

the country. Belong to the system, there are 5 heritages has been
recorded into world heritage list. These heritages are diversified
and unique including cultural heritage and natural heritage.

-The complex of architectural monument of Hue (recorded in 1993)

- Ha Long Bay (recorded in 1994, 2000)
- MySon Sanctuary (recorded in 1999)
- Hoi An Ancient Town (recorded in 1999)
- PhongNha – KeBang National park (recorded in 2003)
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

The complex of architectural monument of Hue is a distinguished

evidence for power of feudalism in Vietnam that is pinnacle at the
time of early 19th century. It also can be seen as a salient instance
of Eastern feudalism capital.
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is recorded with two criterions as natural landscape

(1994) and unique geological characteristics (2000).
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Cham architectural monuments in MySon Sanctuary (world

heritage recorded in 1999), on the other hand, is a special
example for cultural unifying and also unique evidence for a
past important civilization of Asia.
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Hoi An Ancient Town (world heritage recorded in 1999) is

recognized as a symbol of unity of cultures in the pass, a
salient example of traditional resident
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

PhongNha – KeBang National park is an impression evidence of

the Earth history, a very important place providing information
about geology, geomorphology and annual geological history in
the area
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Ceremonial music and songs of Hue (Imperial music and songs of

Vietnam) and cultural space of Gong in Highland has been recorded into
proclaim list of masterpieces of immaterial culture and orally transmitted
of humanity.
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

The system of Vietnam monuments was heavily damaged

because of wars. Therefore, from 1975 and early 80’s decade,
conservation of monument activity in Vietnam has concentrated into
damaged monument saving. Such firstly exertion of monument
preservation aimed to terminate the monument’s destruction
process. Moreover, it also aimed to improve natural and social
environment that influences on monuments.

In this period, policies of monument conservation have been

amended and manpower of monument preservation also has been
established and grown up from practical. Scientific basis, specialty
theory has been built up and consolidated suitable with specific
condition of Vietnam. International co-operation in the field of
monument conservation and restoration is also interested
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Since nineties, cultural heritage

conservation in Vietnam has been
continuously interested. Vietnam
government and community more and
more have paid their attention into
heritage conservation. Hundred of
historical and cultural monuments,
famous landscape have been preserved.
Technician of heritage conservation is
more and more grown up. Legality
documentation of cultural heritage is
continual amended. In this period,
conservation activities have now been
concentrated into increasing scientific
quality. Cultural heritage conservation in
Vietnam is also interested and supported
by international community
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

Recently, from 11 to 13 April, 2006 Vietnam committee of UNESCO,

Heritage Department of Ministry of culture and information, and
Provinces (with world heritage) have just held the IV Conference in
Vietnam World Heritage Conservation in order to estimate and
exchange experiences between World heritage area in Vietnam.
Following the estimation of achievement and unachievable, there
are several practical experiences for world heritage conservation:

1. Management standardization
2. Participation of the community
3. Colleration of conservation and development
4. Reinforcement of scientific base
5. Manpower training
6. International relations
 World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

1. Management standardization: It is necessary to have a unity

organization that will be a leader of all operation concerned in heritage
area including services and conservation activities. This organization
needs to be standard established with efficiency staff to ensure
management ability and control activities in heritage area. Practically,
conservation activities although are carried out by consultants, experts
and specific construction organizations, its effectiveness seem to be
depended much on control ability of heritage’s management
organizations.
 World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

2. Participation of the community: The participation of local community in

the field of the conservation is so important. It is began from increasing
people’s awareness about heritage’s value and also their responsible to
take part in the invaluable property protection. In addition, the support of
local people to the policies for correcting the activities in the monument
area and contiguous area is necessary. Such policies aim to protect the
heritages but it may also influences people’s life. The participation of
community is shown by the indirect activities concerned with the heritage
such as the service for the visitors, the daily activities creating the cultural
and friendly environment of monument area.
 World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

3. Colleration of conservation and development: Conservation is the

sacred responsibility, is our noble desire with the invaluable heritage
transmitting from past. Development is the indispensable way.
Conservation and development seem to be oppositive tendency and
implicit risk to block or to break mutually if it is not comfortably regulated.
However, the conservation and the development are the organically
factors, and supporting mutually for higher effective. Conservation aims
to preserve and increase the values which have been taken shape and
existed through the long process of historical development. These
values bring up in the spirit of community to create motivation and
positively influence to development. Development increase social
resources, creating favorable condition of material and technology for
conservation. Therefore, balancing of organically relation between
conservation and development is extremely important that also is the
prerequisite basis of “stable development”. Conservation and
development most concerned in world heritage area, therefore it is
important to deal with this relation.
 World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

4. Reinforcement of scientific base: Heritage conservation activities and

heritage’s value development is generally based on the scientific basis.
Promoting scientific research about heritage and heritage conservation,
building up standard, technology, procession which correspond to
economic, technology, and social condition of the region or country is
stable basis for heritage conservation strategy and plan.
Acknowledgement of heritage from historical, characteristically, creation
technology, the signification of product, material and restoration solution
and others concerned with heritage are prerequisite conditions to carry
out an effective conservation.
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5. Manpower training: The conservation of monument is a scientific subject

interdisciplinary such as architecture, construction, history, archeology,
culture,…Until now, there is no education for this specialty in VietNam.
Therefore, conservators are equipped the knowledge with one specialty
will need to be given supplementary knowledge and skills about
conservation. Worker who preserves the monuments at site also need to
be trained skills and basic knowledge's. The quality of preservation
depends much on specific construction work-force.
 World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

6. International relations: A world heritage certainly means world-wide

fame. Therefore, international co-operation is necessary activity
accordance with heritage conservation of each country. For less
developing country with many difficult in economic and social condition
as Vietnam, international co-operation play very important role not only
for finance but also for exchange experiences, research in the purpose of
humanity heritage conservation. Recently, Vietnam has co-operated
effective with international community in heritage conservation. We hope
this relation continuously expand and create more effectively in the future.
World Heritage Conservation in Vietnam

This conference in world heritage conservation is also a good and

very important international relation. By this conference, we would
like to present with our colleagues about draw the necessary
lessons from practical of Vietnam heritage conservation.

We expect and listen to your opinions, point of view, experiences

and recommendations over this conference in order to improve
our ability of heritage management and conservation.
Thank you very much.