Ha Long Bay has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site with outstanding global values in terms of aesthetics, geology and geomorphology. Experts also commented and highly appreciated the potential cultural and historical values of the heritage. During the contact activities on the sidelines of the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (July 2024), many experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) proposed that Quang Ninh province study and prepare a dossier to propose UNESCO to consider and list the cultural values of Ha Long Bay as a World Heritage Site. This is an opportunity for the heritage to continue to be honored, increasing the attraction of the heritage in the future.
Continuing the 3 cultures of Soi Nhu - Cai Beo - Ha Long
According to initial preliminary research documents, the Ha Long Bay area is identified as one of the cradles of ancient Vietnamese settlement. The earliest traces of human presence here belong to the owners of the Soi Nhu culture (dating from 18,000-7,000 years ago), followed by the Cai Beo culture (dating from 7,000-5,000 years ago) and finally the Ha Long culture (dating from 5,000-3,500 years ago).
Specifically, archaeologists Ha Huu Nga and Nguyen Van Hao once claimed that in an area of approximately 2,000km2... of the current Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long area, during the Hoa Binh and Bac Son periods, a large prehistoric community existed. They lived in limestone caves in a completely independent area compared to the Hoa Binh and Bac Son residents and created a parallel culture that existed with the Hoa Binh and Bac Son cultures. That was the Soi Nhu culture.
Following that was the Cai Beo culture, which marked the beginning of the prehistoric economic zoning of Vietnam. According to historical developments, in the late Neolithic period, it was in the northeastern sea and islands that the Ha Long maritime culture was formed and developed brilliantly. Professor Ha Van Tan once commented: Ha Long culture has indigenous origins, but many elements that make up this culture, including its outstanding characteristics, can also be the result of interaction and exchange with other cultures, especially in its late stage. And this is what makes up a unique feature of Ha Long culture, a culture at the gateway to ancient Vietnamese civilization in both space and time.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, speaking at the workshop "Identifying and evaluating typical and unique cultural values in Ha Long Bay" held at the end of October in Ha Long City, stated that the owners of Ha Long culture, through trade routes and island chains, had many close and relatively large exchanges with both Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. Living near the sea and in caves of the islands, Ha Long people mainly worked in exploiting the sea, catching aquatic and seafood products, and they also knew how to make tools from stone, bone and wood... Sources of documents also show that the residents of Ha Long and the Northeast islands always clearly understood the timing of fishing seasons, the migration of fish schools; the distribution area, the growing season, the exploitation season of aquatic animals...
Residents of the Ha Long - Northeast sea islands region have a rich and in-depth knowledge system about the sea. They understand the monsoon regime; the rules of tides and sea channels; about boats and boat building techniques; about fishing areas, streams and fishing and salt making times; about seafood processing methods and sea culinary culture; about the psychological and spiritual life of coastal residents and the system of temples and shrines worshiping sea gods; about the marine culture (poetry, folk songs, antithetical singing at sea...); about the social relationships and responses of people to the sea... These are typical marine cultural heritages of Ha Long - Bac Bo Gulf that were formed early in history and have been constantly supplemented and created through generations...
Trends in developing blue ocean economy, tourism, and marine services
Ha Long Bay and its surrounding areas have also recorded many famous historical and cultural events of the nation, from the feudal period to the modern period. With its important strategic location, as early as the 12th century (1149), under the reign of King Ly Anh Tong, Van Don trading port was established in the Ha Long Bay area. The trading port has maintained its position as a foreign economic and diplomatic center for 7 centuries...
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Kim affirmed that from a historical perspective on the culture of Ha Long Bay, the Northeast sea and islands, we can think of 4 images associated with 4 fundamental development stages of the historical space and national culture. In particular, Ha Long sea culture from the 19th century to the present has undergone many ups and downs and changes; it is being promoted in the direction of blue sea economy, tourism, sea services, and sea cultural industry.
In addition, according to Prof. Dr. Tu Thi Loan, Chairwoman of the Science and Training Council, Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts, Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, the interaction between the environment and marine culture is the origin of unique intangible cultural values in Ha Long Bay. These are values in livelihood culture, living culture, ecological culture, artistic culture and spiritual culture.
For example, the cultural and artistic value is shown in the fact that the Northeast sea and island region is a place rich in myths and legends related to the origin of the sea, land, historical figures, cultural celebrities, scenic spots, etc. Folk songs, proverbs, and idioms reflecting the daily life of the people are always diverse, colorful, and no less attractive than scholarly literature. It is a folk "bag of wisdom" that is extremely erudite, insightful, full of wisdom, and at the same time very practical and useful, drawn from life experiences, ways of dealing with people, ways of behaving with nature, ways of living, working, loving, and even ways of maintaining health, preventing and treating diseases, etc.
The sea and island areas of Ha Long Bay are also famous for their unique and lyrical folk songs and performances. These include street singing, sea singing, duet singing, boat weddings, etc., which clearly demonstrate the unique cultural characteristics of this area, quite different from other sea and island areas in Vietnam.
The coastal people here live in a marine environment and always have to face uncertainties, dangers, and unpredictable natural disasters. Spiritual beliefs are an important spiritual and psychological support for the people. Among them, ancestor worship is the most popular belief. In addition, the beliefs of worshiping the village tutelary god, the water god, the sea god, the Mother Goddess and goddesses related to the sea are all developed. They also worship mountain gods, Buddha, God, etc.
The wide integration of different types of gods and saints, besides the purpose of finding psychological support and praying for protection, the practice of beliefs also demonstrates the morality of remembering the source of water, showing gratitude to those who have contributed to the people and the country, the ancestors who opened up and established the village, increasing community cohesion... These are good values, positive aspects that need to be cared for, preserved and promoted in the contemporary context.
Prof. Dr. Tu Thi Loan affirmed that Ha Long Bay, in addition to its aesthetic, geological and geomorphological values, is also the place where many unique cultural values are produced, preserved and transmitted. That is the soul, character and unique characteristics that create the attraction and appeal for tourists to experience and learn about the culture here. Currently, a number of livelihood activities, cultural activities, folk arts and culinary culture in fishing villages have become unique tourism resources in the Ha Long Bay area, a strength to attract tourists, create jobs and income for the people.
However, she warned that if we only focus on exploiting the geological, geomorphological and landscape values of the natural heritage, we will inadvertently lose another important strength: exploiting the rich cultural resources here to serve socio-economic development in general and tourism in particular. Quang Ninh should learn from Ninh Binh's experience in preparing a dossier to submit to UNESCO on the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex as a mixed heritage, including both cultural and natural heritage. This will continue to raise the level of Ha Long Bay heritage on the world tourism map.
She suggested that, with the unique cultural values mentioned above, Ha Long Bay could be registered according to criterion (v): Being an outstanding example of a traditional form of human settlement, land or sea use, representing a culture(s), or the interaction between people and the environment, especially when it is vulnerable to the effects of irreversible changes.
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