Cooperation in preserving and restoring Yen Tu relics

In recent years, recognizing the great values and potentials of Yen Tu, Uong Bi City has had many effective cooperation solutions to restore the relic associated with promoting, especially exploiting for sustainable tourism development of the locality.

Artifacts dating from the 13th and 14th centuries were found at Yen Tu.

In recent times, the Management Board of Yen Tu National Monuments and Forests has coordinated with specialized agencies and units to stamp and translate 101 steles, organize research, collect and preserve 803 valuable artifacts, of which 770 artifacts have been documented in the form of descriptions, photographs and numbering. The Board has also coordinated with the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, the Institute of Monuments Conservation, and the Vietnam Museum of History to conduct 12 research and archaeological excavations in the relic area, discovering many relics, isolating a system of floor plans of the relic sites, helping to decode many scientific, historical and cultural issues related to famous people, relics and the overall planning space of the Yen Tu heritage site.

In the restoration of Yen Tu relics and landscapes, Uong Bi City has placed it in connection with the relic sites in Quang Yen Town and Dong Trieu Town. According to the viewpoint of Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Vice President of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, the Bach Dang battle in 1288 must be viewed in a comprehensive space. All sources of documents confirm that the land of "geomancy and talented people" with a strategic position to protect the entire region is the first homeland of the Tran Dynasty, where the Tran Dynasty built it into a holy land, a Buddhist center, and the largest spiritual and cultural center in the country.

Therefore, when developing plans, the issue of connecting relics in the world heritage component in localities in the province is raised. At the same time, Uong Bi should also connect with localities with relics related to the Tran Dynasty to form a chain of spiritual cultural tourism links, especially between localities in the relic complex of the three provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Bac Giang; encourage businesses, organizations, and individuals to diversify local specialty products to serve the consumption needs of tourists. According to historian Duong Trung Quoc, the connection will bring great values and is very meaningful for sustainable development. Each locality can promote its specific circumstances at the present time when we are opening up and strengthening the connection relationships.

Dong Pagoda area, Yen Tu seen from above.

Uong Bi City is ready to prepare a comprehensive strategic plan when Yen Tu is an inter-provincial heritage honored as a World Heritage. According to Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, Uong Bi City needs to cooperate with regions and provinces to build a chain of spiritual tourism products, build comprehensive and interdisciplinary projects to create complete, attractive tourism products with high commercial value.

The core of spiritual tours, routes and tourist attractions is the Yen Tu Historical Relic and Scenic Area, but this relic site is only one of four important components that make up the Yen Tu Relic and Scenic Area Complex (Quang Ninh), Vinh Nghiem (Bac Giang), Con Son - Kiep Bac (Hai Duong). Therefore, inter-regional and inter-provincial cooperation to build a chain of spiritual tourism products to fully exploit the resources of a world cultural heritage site in the near future is an urgent issue that needs to be resolved.

Many ancient ceramic vases and bowls are being preserved by the Yen Tu National Forest and Relic Management Board.

Uong Bi City has successfully applied the public-private partnership model, connecting interdisciplinary in the management, conservation and promotion of cultural heritage values, while taking advantage of financial and management resources from economic sectors and communities to participate in the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage values, while still ensuring benefits for the people. In order to develop Yen Tu tourism in a sustainable direction, the province and city have prioritized calling for potential investors who know how to evaluate and exploit the priceless spiritual values of Yen Tu. Over the past 10 years, nearly 3,000 billion VND of socialized capital from enterprises has been invested in the construction and completion of synchronous technical infrastructure, traffic, and service systems, increasingly meeting the needs of tourists for sightseeing and relaxation.

During the process of investing and exploiting cable car services, in the period of 2016-2018, Tung Lam Development Joint Stock Company hired an architect to design the Truc Lam Yen Tu Cultural Center complex. The most unique feature is that it has distilled the basic elements of Truc Lam Buddhism and Tran Dynasty culture, forming a consistent language from architecture, landscape, interior, to service methods, bringing the past closer to the present, recreating ancient culture in a modern, high-class complex.

International cooperation will also help access new perspectives and good practices of countries in dealing with common world issues on cultural heritage, while taking advantage of ideas from UNESCO and progressive countries in the process of socio-economic development. In the current context, when Yen Tu is an important element for the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic complex to be considered for recognition by UNESCO as a world heritage, Uong Bi has coordinated well with domestic and foreign experts to welcome the ICOMOS expert group to conduct field surveys in Yen Tu. In the long term, it is possible to coordinate to organize many conferences, seminars, many programs of association, international cooperation and exchange in the field of heritage protection in the locality.

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