UNESCO's recognition not only continues to contribute to promoting the image of the country, people and culture of Vietnam, but also adds motivation to turn that "soft power" into an important endogenous resource in the socio-economic development, tourism and sustainable development of our country.
On December 11, 1993, the Complex of Hue Monuments was officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the first cultural heritage of Vietnam to be recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.
For nearly 400 years (1558 - 1945), Hue was the capital of 9 Nguyen lords (16th - 18th centuries) in Dang Trong, the capital of the Tay Son dynasty (late 18th century), and then the capital of the unified nation under 13 Nguyen kings (1802 - 1945). The ancient capital of Hue today still preserves tangible and intangible cultural heritages containing many values symbolizing the intelligence and soul of the Vietnamese people. According to researchers, among the ancient capitals of Vietnam, Hue is the only place that still preserves the overall architectural art of the royal court quite intact, with a system of citadels, palaces, temples, shrines, mausoleums...
The Hue Monuments Complex contains many values symbolizing the intelligence and soul of the Vietnamese people.
Over time, with the inheritance of unique values of indigenous culture combined with the cultural quintessence of the monarchical dynasties, a huge treasure of heritage has crystallized in the heart of the ancient capital of Hue, including tangible, intangible and documentary heritages recognized by UNESCO: Hue Monuments Complex (1993); Vietnamese royal music - Nha Nhac (2003), Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks (2009), Nguyen Dynasty records (2014), Poetry on Hue royal architecture (2016), Practice of worshipping the Mother Goddess of the Three Palaces (2016), Central Vietnam's Bai Choi art (2017).
In 1994, Ha Long Bay was recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage for its aesthetic value and was recognized a second time for its outstanding global geological and geomorphological value in 2000.
Ha Long Bay is a scenic complex located in the northeast of Quang Ninh province, covering 1,553 square kilometers and comprising nearly 2,000 large and small islands. The area recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site covers 434 square kilometers and has 775 islands. Legend has it that Ha Long Bay is where the Dragon landed.
Ha Long Bay is always an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
The island complex in Ha Long Bay has two main types: limestone islands and schist islands. The islands are concentrated in two main areas, the southeast of Bai Tu Long Bay and the southwest of Ha Long Bay. Although the number of islands in Ha Long Bay is very large, no island is the same. From a distance, the rocky islands here seem to be stacked on top of each other, creating special terrains. In some places, the islands are arranged horizontally and vertically, connecting dozens of kilometers like a solid wall.
Each island has a different shape, creating new and unique colors that only Ha Long has. Based on this shape and human imagination, the islands here have been given very familiar and simple names such as Dau Nguoi island, Hon Trong Mai, Hon Rong, Hon Ong Su, Hon Dua... In addition, some islands are also named after folk tales such as Bai Tho mountain, Trinh Nu cave, Tuan Chau island or unique features on the island such as Ngoc Vung island, Kien Vang island, Monkey island...
My Son relic site (in Duy Phu commune, Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province) is the most famous architectural complex of the Cham people in Vietnam.
Started in the 4th century by King Bhadravarman (reigning from 349 to 361) and completed in the late 13th century, early 14th century under the reign of King Jaya Simhavarman III (Che Man), My Son is a complex of more than 70 temples and towers with many architectural and sculptural styles representing each historical period of the Champa kingdom.
Domestic and foreign tourists visit My Son Temple Relic Site.
Most of the architectural works and sculptures at My Son are influenced by Hinduism. The temples and towers mostly face the East - the direction of the rising sun, the abode of the gods; except for a few towers facing the West or both East and West, expressing the thoughts of the kings towards the afterlife after they were deified and to show their nostalgia for their ancestors.
The main temples at My Son worship a set of Linga or images of the god Siva - the protector of the Champa kings. The god worshiped at My Son is Bhadravarman, the king who founded the first kingly line of the Amaravati region in the 4th century, combined with the name of the god Siva, becoming the main belief in worshiping gods - kings and royal ancestors.
After many years of ups and downs and changes in history, today My Son Sanctuary is still a relic with unique cultural, artistic and architectural values of humanity, it is the crystallization of the wisdom and talent of many generations.
My Son relic site was officially recognized as a World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on December 1, 1999.
Hoi An Ancient Town is a famous tourist city of Quang Nam province, located entirely in Minh An ward, in the lower Thu Bon river, in the coastal plain of Quang Nam province. Hoi An is about 30 km south of Da Nang city center, bordering the East Sea to the east, Duy Xuyen district to the south and Dien Ban district to the west.
In addition to cultural values through diverse architecture, Hoi An also preserves a massive intangible cultural foundation.
As a traditional Southeast Asian port city, rare in the world, through many historical ups and downs, Hoi An still retains its almost intact state with 1,360 relics.
Hoi An is famous for its traditional architectural beauty, the harmony of ancient houses, walls and roads. Although it has gone through hundreds of years with many events, this place still retains its ancient beauty, quiet, moss on each tile roof, row of trees...
Hoi An has many ancient quarters that were also built in the 16th century and still exist almost intact, from streets, houses to temples, pagodas, ancient wells... One of them is the Japanese Covered Bridge - a unique structure, an architectural feature with a strong Vietnamese architectural style. Not only was it chosen to be printed on the 20,000 VND note, but it is also considered a typical image, a priceless asset of Hoi An.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is located in the north of the Truong Son mountain range, in the communes of Tan Trach, Thuong Trach, Phuc Trach, Xuan Trach and Son Trach in Bo Trach district, Quang Binh province.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park was recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage according to geological and geomorphological criteria in 2003, and was recognized by UNESCO for the second time as a World Natural Heritage with biodiversity and ecological criteria on July 3, 2015, and is a rich destination in Quang Binh tour programs.
Son Doong Cave (located in Phong Nha - Ke Bang cave complex) overwhelms all who set foot on the expedition with its enormous size and captivating beauty.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang is considered a giant geological museum of global value and significance, most of the area is limestone and linked to the Hin Namno National Biodiversity Conservation Area of Laos to form a large Karst block in Southeast Asia. Phong Nha - Ke Bang today is the result of the development of 5 geological tectonic stages, from the Ordovician period (464 million years) to the Quaternary. This is demonstrated through the rich and diverse paleontological fossil complexes representing different stratigraphic ages.
Besides its historical, geological, topographical and geomorphological value, Phong Nha - Ke Bang is also blessed by nature with mysterious and majestic landscapes. Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park contains many natural mysteries, caves like magnificent castles in the limestone mountains created millions of years ago.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang area has a complex of more than 300 large and small caves, rich and majestic, known as the "Kingdom of Caves", a place that hides many strange and attractive things, a paradise for cave scientists, explorers and tourists. Up to now, 20 caves with a total length of over 70 km have been systematically and thoroughly surveyed by the British Royal Survey Team in collaboration with the Department of Geography of Hanoi National University and have been published in Panorama and Public Opinion Magazine - No. 48, July 1994, and are considered one of the most beautiful landscapes with the following characteristics: the most beautiful underground river, the highest and widest cave entrance, the most beautiful sandbanks and reefs, the most beautiful underground lake, the widest and most beautiful dry cave, the most magical and magnificent stalactite system, the longest water cave...
Thang Long Imperial Citadel is a complex of relics associated with the history of Thang Long - Hanoi. This massive architectural work was built by dynasties in many historical periods and became the most important relic in the system of Vietnamese relics.
In December 2002, experts excavated a total area of 19,000 m2 in the political center of Ba Dinh - Hanoi. This largest archaeological excavation in Vietnam and Southeast Asia has revealed traces of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in the historical process spanning 13 centuries with relics and cultural layers overlapping each other.
Thang Long Imperial Citadel is a complex of relics associated with the history of Thang Long - Hanoi citadel.
Unique architectural traces and millions of valuable artifacts have partly recreated the historical process spanning from the period of Northern domination under the domination of the Sui and Tang dynasties (7th to 9th centuries), throughout the dynasties: Ly, Tran, Le, Mac and Nguyen (1010 - 1945).
On July 31, 2010, UNESCO passed a resolution recognizing the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi as a World Cultural Heritage. This is the pride not only of Hanoi but also of the whole country of Vietnam.
The Ho Dynasty Citadel is a solid citadel with unique stone architecture, one of the few remaining stone citadels in the world and has outstanding global values. The citadel was built by Ho Quy Ly in 1397. The location of the citadel was chosen according to feng shui principles in the beautiful natural landscape between the Ma River and the Buoi River in Vinh Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province.
Today, the citadel still retains 4 gates, the gates are built of large stone blocks, many of which weigh from 10 to 26 tons. The citadel wall has a perimeter of more than 3.5 km with many sections of the wall almost intact along with many artifacts marking the place that was once considered the capital, the political, cultural, social center, and at the same time the largest military defense structure of the Ho Dynasty.
Ho Dynasty Citadel still retains 4 gates, the gates were built with large stone blocks, many of which weigh from 10 to 26 tons.
When visiting the Ho Dynasty Citadel, visitors cannot help but be amazed by the huge amount of stone, the way the stone was assembled to build the massive, sturdy walls and gates. They are even more amazed and impressed when they know that more than 600 years ago, this huge stone citadel was completed in just 3 months. The outstanding value of the citadel is the stone blocks weighing tens of tons, hand-hewn but achieving maximum functionality and efficiency, unique and only in East Asia in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. This is an "unprecedented" miracle that has yet to be explained by science.
With its outstanding global values in culture, architecture and history, on June 27, 2011, Ho Dynasty Citadel was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.
Fully converging the criteria of culture, aesthetic beauty, geology with outstanding global values, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex has been listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, becoming the first mixed heritage of Vietnam and Southeast Asia to be recognized by UNESCO.
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex covers an area of 6,172 hectares in Hoa Lu, Gia Vien, Nho Quan districts, Tam Diep town and Ninh Binh city, Ninh Binh province. Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex includes three adjacent protected areas: Hoa Lu ancient capital historical and cultural relic site, Trang An - Tam Coc - Bich Dong Scenic Landscape Complex and Hoa Lu special-use primeval forest.
Tam Coc ferry terminal in Trang An scenic complex (Ninh Binh) seen from above.
Trang An is considered a “Ha Long on land” with a magnificent beauty created by a system of multi-shaped rocky mountains reflecting on small, winding streams connecting caves and pristine valleys. The harmony of rocks, rivers, forests and sky in Trang An creates a lively and charming natural world. This place is also a place to preserve and contain many ecosystems of flooded forests, forests on limestone mountains, archaeological sites and unique historical and cultural relics.
The Trang An scenic complex also surrounds the Hoa Lu special-use primeval forest with a diverse and rich ecosystem, including rare animals such as ground phoenixes, starlings, babblers, monkeys, pythons, especially the white-bibbed gibbon, a species listed in the world's Red Book.
This is the first world heritage site in Vietnam spread across two localities: Ha Long Bay - Quang Ninh province; Cat Ba archipelago - Hai Phong city.
Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, because it has areas of natural beauty including limestone islands covered with vegetation; limestone pinnacles rising above the sea along with related karst features such as domes, caves. The spectacular untouched landscape of the islands covered with vegetation, saltwater lakes, limestone pinnacles with vertical cliffs rising above the sea. With 1,133 limestone islands of various shapes and sizes (775 limestone islands in Ha Long Bay and 358 limestone islands in Ca Ba Archipelago) covered with rich vegetation on the sparkling emerald water, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago appears like a chessboard of precious stones; peaceful, overlapping mountains and rivers; white, pristine sand beaches.
The beauty of Lan Ha Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago from above.
With the intersection of mountains, forests and islands, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago has a high level of diversity in Asia when it possesses 7 adjacent, successively developing tropical and subtropical marine - island ecosystems. These are the primary tropical rainforest ecosystem; cave ecosystem; mangrove ecosystem; tidal flat ecosystem; coral reef ecosystem; soft bottom ecosystem; saltwater lake ecosystem. These ecosystems represent ecological and biological processes that are still evolving and developing, reflected in the diversity of flora and fauna communities.
The first inter-provincial world heritage site of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago recognized by UNESCO will be an important premise, contributing experience and practice, towards building a model of inter-provincial and inter-border heritage management.
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