Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien - Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), Standing Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, said that the new title of UNESCO opens up many opportunities for Vietnam but there is also much work to be done.
Participating in the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien shared with TG&VN about the story of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago which has just been honored as a World Natural Heritage.
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| Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien (second from left) and the Vietnamese delegation at the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee. (Source: NVCC) |
After eight years, our country has had the title of Natural Heritage since the honor of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in 2015. According to the Director, what is the significance of this event?
Ha Long Bay has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage twice in 1994 and 2000. Up to now, UNESCO's continued recognition of the World Natural Heritage on the basis of the expanded dossier of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago has contributed to consolidating and affirming the integrity of the heritage and its outstanding global value in particular, affirming the unique and rich value of Vietnam's cultural heritage treasure, contributing to the cultural and natural heritage treasure of humanity and the world in general.
The new title gives us the opportunity to promote the image of Vietnam and its people with rich nature, as well as affirm that cultural heritage is an invaluable asset and resource in socio-economic development, associated with tourism development and actively contributing to the development strategy of Vietnam's cultural industries.
In addition, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is the first world natural heritage in Vietnam spread across inter-provincial areas, between Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city.
This is an important premise to help us perfect the new heritage management model in two or more provinces, while aiming to continue affirming the role and contributing Vietnam's experience and practices; aiming at the goal of managing multinational heritage when we are supporting Laos in preparing a dossier to soon propose UNESCO to recognize the World Natural Heritage for Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province, expanding with Hin-Nam-No National Park in Khammouane province.
The process of building the dossier lasted more than 10 years with many difficulties and challenges. What do you think about the coordination between agencies and the two localities to create this success?
This is the result of a very long process. From the timely direction of the Prime Minister, closely following and implementing the direction of the Prime Minister, together with the close and effective coordination of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO in Paris, and above all, the determination of the Party Committee, government and people of Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province.
The honor comes with the challenge, doesn't it, ma'am?
It is true that UNESCO's recognition of the Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago World Natural Heritage opens up many opportunities for Vietnam, which means we have a lot of work to do. Because this is the first world natural heritage in Vietnam spread across two localities - the issue of inter-provincial physical heritage management in practice has never existed before.
The challenge here is how to protect and manage the heritage to achieve unity and effectiveness between the two localities, while ensuring socio-economic development associated with tourism development, for the goal of sustainable development, environmental protection, while preserving the integrity and fully respecting the outstanding global value of the heritage as recommended by UNESCO in addition to recognizing the world heritage of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago.
What are the solutions that need to be implemented to preserve and promote heritage values?
In my opinion, the most important solution that needs to be implemented immediately is to develop a plan and regulations for heritage management between the two localities to serve as a basis for joint management, protection and promotion of heritage values and to address major threats such as environmental pollution (oil, noise, wastewater, waste, etc.), poaching, exploitation of marine resources and forest products, overfishing, unsustainable aquaculture, settlements, development in buffer zones and the ecological carrying capacity of heritage from mass tourism, etc.
In addition to strategies to promote destinations and promote tourism development, calculating the connection of a chain of points and sightseeing routes... to ensure increased revenue from tourism services but reduce the carrying capacity of heritage with respect for the outstanding global value of heritage is the solution but also a problem that localities need to pay attention to.
In the coming time, the world heritage recognized will create great opportunities in implementing large projects for socio-economic development in and outside the buffer zone of the heritage in the two localities, especially for Hai Phong city. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to ensuring the harmony between socio-economic development and heritage conservation according to UNESCO's sustainable development goals and the perspective of cultural heritage conservation.
Overall, it is necessary to consider and research the development of monitoring plans and indicators to effectively manage heritage; at the same time, create a more suitable legal corridor, especially in the roadmap to amend the Law on Cultural Heritage, which will be submitted to the Prime Minister and discussed at the 7th Session of the 15th National Assembly in 2024.
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