On March 5-6, the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Tourism coordinated with the UNESCO Office in Hanoi and the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (VNU-Hanoi) to organize an international workshop on "Quantifying the value of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex and developing the brand of a world heritage destination".
International workshop "Quantifying the value of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex and developing the brand of world heritage destinations", held in Ninh Binh (Photo: Thanh Binh).
Mr. Jonathan Baker, Chief Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam, expressed his pleasure to join Vietnamese and international experts, scientists, and managers in the dialogue at the workshop, aiming to redefine the way to perceive, measure, and exploit the economic potential of world heritages.
The UNESCO Representative in Vietnam affirmed that since the announcement of the Trang An economic valuation project in October 2024, significant progress has been made in turning this vision into action. What started as an ambitious idea has now become a reality through in-depth research, multi-stakeholder collaboration and invaluable local insights.
“This study examines the economic contributions of Trang An across four key dimensions, providing a better understanding of the heritage’s role in supporting local livelihoods, sustainable land use and long-term economic resilience.
These findings are not only theoretical but also positively shape policies and strategies that not only affect the future of Trang An but also contribute to the global discussion on integrating heritage conservation with sustainable development," said Mr. Jonathan Baker.
Mr. Jonathan Baker, UNESCO Representative in Vietnam, spoke at the workshop (Photo: Thanh Binh).
The UNESCO representative in Vietnam added that the conference was not held to reaffirm what was already known.
According to this person, the workshop to reshape the future, the way forward of Trang An, as well as all heritages that are seeking a delicate balance between conservation and development, depends on sustainable research, inclusive policy innovation, and the common commitment of all those working towards the future of the heritage.
At the workshop, Vietnamese and international experts, scientists and managers discussed "Economic aspects of world heritage - lessons from global models and orientations for Trang An world heritage" and "Tourism economics and sustainable development scenarios for Trang An world heritage and policy recommendations".
The workshop approved a method for assessing the overall economic value of the heritage; the total economic value (TEV) of the Trang An World Heritage Site is estimated at 233 billion USD.
This figure is measured based on the foundation of 10 core value groups including: Entertainment value; karst landscape system value; biodiversity value; archaeological value; Trang An special-use forest value; cultural value of communal houses, temples, pagodas; festival cultural value; folk performing arts cultural value; residential land value with strong impact from heritage in the core heritage area and residential land value with impact from heritage in the buffer heritage area.
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex - World Cultural and Natural Heritage, in Ninh Binh (Photo: Ninh Manh Thang).
In addition, the workshop also pointed out the direct impacts of heritage on the tourism economy and local cultural industries; the impacts and organic relationships between cultural heritage and settlement activities and sustainable livelihoods in the locality.
In addition, scientists also proposed a scenario for the economic development of the heritage of the World Heritage Site of Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex; pointed out the role of heritage conservation policy as a foundation for the formation and development of the heritage city of Hoa Lu; and proposed five development models that should be applied to spaces in Ninh Binh province in the future.
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