The Government Office has recently issued a document conveying the directive of Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh regarding the submission of the nomination dossier for the Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological site in An Giang Province to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), seeking its recognition as a World Cultural Heritage site.
Specifically, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh assigned the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of An Giang Province to closely coordinate, thoroughly review, and finalize the nomination dossier to ensure its quality and compliance with legal regulations. The Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is authorized to sign the nomination dossier for the Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological site in An Giang Province and submit it to UNESCO in accordance with the relevant procedures.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO are tasked with taking the lead, in coordination with relevant agencies, to carry out the necessary procedures for submitting the nomination dossier to UNESCO in accordance with regulations. They are also requested to actively support the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the People’s Committee of An Giang Province, and other relevant units in implementing the required measures to build international consensus in support of the recognition of the Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological site as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
The People’s Committee of An Giang Province is fully responsible for the contents of the nomination dossier in accordance with the 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and Vietnam’s laws on cultural heritage.
The local authorities must closely work with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relevant agencies, and both domestic and international experts and scientists to urgently conduct research, review, supplement, revise, and finalize the completed nomination dossier.
The final dossier must fully meet the criteria for World Heritage status as set out in the 1972 Convention and comply with relevant legal regulations on cultural heritage, ensuring both the quality and the timeline required for official submission to UNESCO.
The Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological and architectural heritage site has a total planned conservation area of approximately 433 hectares, including about 143 hectares in the foothills and slopes of Ba The Mountain (Zone A) and over 289 hectares in the Oc Eo field area (Zone B).
The Oc Eo culture was an ancient civilization that emerged and developed in the Southern region from the 1st to the 7th century AD. It was first identified and named in 1944 by French scholar Louis Malleret. This is considered one of the major cultures in Vietnam’s history, closely associated with the land and people of the Mekong Delta, and intricately linked to the ancient Southeast Asian history.
The Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological and architectural site has been designated a Special National Relic of Vietnam. On January 4, 2022, UNESCO officially included the Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological site, located in An Giang Province, in its Tentative List for consideration as a World Cultural Heritage site.
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