In the afternoon of July 12 (Paris time), at the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the organization recognized the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Relics and Landscape Complex as a World Cultural Heritage site.
This recognition affirms the site’s outstanding universal value as a unique cultural, historical, and spiritual space, closely associated with the Truc Lam Zen Buddhism founded by King Tran Nhan Tong in the 13th century.
The interprovincial heritage site comprises 12 interconnected components, with the Yen Tu Relic and Scenic Area serving as a key symbolic element. It is closely linked to the spiritual journey and enlightenment of Emperor-Buddha Tran Nhan Tong, who founded the Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist Zen Monastery and became its first patriarch.
To achieve recognition as a World Cultural Heritage Site, the localities underwent a meticulous and systematic process to prepare a comprehensive scientific dossier. The dossier encompassed extensive research across a heritage area spanning several provinces, featuring complex terrain with diverse hills, mountains, rivers, and streams. It also documented numerous layers of historical, cultural, and religious values closely connected to the formation and development of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism in the nation’s history.
The preparation of the dossier was a 13-year-long endeavor, involving a monumental workload that included thousands of pages of scientific documentation and hundreds of seminars, workshops, and academic exchanges held both domestically and internationally.
UNESCO’s Representative to Vietnam, Jonathan Wallace Baker, affirmed that the site’s inscription not only honors the past but also initiates a meaningful shared journey. He described it as a call to responsible action to protect the heritage for future generations.
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh emphasized that the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem-Con Son, Kiep Bac Relics, and Landscape Complex represent a continuous and unified heritage space, fully reflecting the formation, development, and dissemination of Vietnam’s distinctive cultural and spiritual values. It harmoniously integrates tangible and intangible heritage, encompassing natural landscapes, architecture, history, and the nation’s religious and spiritual life.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the success of the dossier is the result of meticulous, scientific, and long-term preparation, as well as the close, coordinated, and responsible cooperation of the levels of sectors and localities. Notably, the provinces of Quang Ninh and Bac Ninh, and Hai Phong City have demonstrated a high sense of responsibility, proactive engagement, and consistent coordination in both awareness and action, sharing a common vision and jointly assuming responsibility for safeguarding the integrity, authenticity, and outstanding universal value of the heritage complex.
Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh affirmed that the Government of Vietnam is committed to rigorously safeguarding the integrity, authenticity, and outstanding universal value of the heritage site in accordance with UNESCO’s criteria and recommendations. He emphasized implementing comprehensive, cross-sectoral, and inter-regional management that balances heritage conservation, environmental protection, and sustainable socio-economic development. The role of local communities, religious organizations, and cultural stakeholders in preserving and transmitting heritage values will be actively promoted.
The Deputy Prime Minister called on Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, and Hai Phong to clearly define their responsibilities in ensuring an effective, regular, and substantive interprovincial coordination mechanism. He urged the development of concrete plans to fully implement the recommendations of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, particularly by enhancing the central role of communities in safeguarding, practicing, and disseminating the spiritual values of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism.
