On October 22 in Hanoi, the Steering Committee for the development of the Yen Tu Profile held a conference to contribute opinions to the draft report on the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex, at the request of the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS.
The conference was chaired by Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong, Head of the Steering Committee. Attending the conference was Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province.
After three years of preparation, the Yen Tu dossier was submitted to UNESCO in January 2024 for consideration for recognition as a World Heritage Site. ICOMOS, UNESCO’s advisory body, sent a team of experts to conduct a field assessment in September 2024 and requested Vietnam to provide additional information on 11 contents, including a map of the site, outstanding elements of the site, an environmental impact assessment, and a conservation plan.
At the conference, experts from the Institute for Monuments Conservation, the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology and other professional agencies contributed many important opinions to clarify the contents required by ICOMOS.
Experts emphasized the need to supplement historical documents and images to highlight the value of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhism to Vietnamese history during the Tran Dynasty.
Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairwoman of Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Hanh emphasized the importance of coordination between localities in heritage conservation and management and preparation for the certification process with ICOMOS. She also called on localities to strengthen cooperation with specialized agencies to complete the report on time.
Concluding the conference, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong highly appreciated the efforts of relevant units in quickly supplementing information and requested to continue to coordinate closely to complete the report before November 8, 2024. This is an important preparation step for the dialogue between the Vietnamese delegation and ICOMOS in Paris on November 25, 2024.
