At the 45th Session, UNESCO approved the nomination dossier, recognizing Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago (in Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city) as a World Natural Heritage.
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| The moment when the Chairman of the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee (Dr. Abdulelad Al Tokhais - Saudi Arabia) rapped the gavel to approve the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago dossier at 5:39 p.m. on September 16, 2023 (local time). |
At 5:39 p.m. local time (ie 9:39 p.m. Vietnam time), September 16, 2023, in the capital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, within the framework of the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee, Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago was officially recognized as a World Natural Heritage.
This is also the first world heritage site in Vietnam to span two localities (Quang Ninh and Hai Phong). After 8 years, our country has had a new heritage title since the honor of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in 2015.
The inscription of this heritage is the result of closely following and implementing the Prime Minister's direction, 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, especially the efforts and determination of the authorities and people of Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province.
The process of building and mobilizing the dossier lasted nearly 10 years with many difficulties and challenges, including the recommendation to "return the dossier" right before the Session.
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| UNESCO recognized Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba as a World Natural Heritage. |
However, stemming from the desire to better protect and promote the existing World Natural Heritage, Ha Long Bay, the Vietnamese delegation at the Session conducted more than 30 meetings and contacts with 21 Heads of Delegations of member countries of the World Heritage Committee, Directors of the World Heritage Center, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to update, explain information, and clarify outstanding global values.
In particular, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang sent a letter to the Director General of UNESCO and the leaders of 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee requesting support for the nomination of Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago, affirming Vietnam's strong commitment to heritage management and protection, which was highly appreciated by the members.
On that basis, the Meeting reached absolute consensus, 21/21 members supported Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago as worthy of being listed with its amazing natural beauty, outstanding global value, the end point in the karst evolution process, representing 7 adjacent ecosystems, habitat of many rare animals.
With the support of most member countries of the World Heritage Committee, the first inter-provincial World Heritage Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago being listed 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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| Vietnamese delegation attended the meeting. |
Currently, Vietnam is actively cooperating with Laos to complete the dossier for the nomination of Hin Nam No World Natural Heritage site, which is expanded from Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. This demonstrates Vietnam's commitment and responsibility in protecting world heritage sites not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia, preserving them for the present and passing them on to future generations.
Sharing with the press, Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van emphasized that the registration is not only a source of pride for the community and people of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, but also a common joy for the Vietnamese people.
This title affirms the international appreciation for the beauty of the heritage and Vietnam's efforts in protecting the heritage. At the same time, this is also another contribution of Vietnam to the goal of preserving and promoting heritage values that UNESCO is promoting.
Honor and pride always go hand in hand with responsibility, requiring all levels, sectors and localities to raise awareness and synchronously deploy practical and effective measures to preserve and promote the value of heritage in accordance with the spirit of the 1972 Convention associated with sustainable development.
The world heritages listed by UNESCO in Vietnam have been making important contributions to the local socio-economic development, environmental protection, green and sustainable growth, and thereby promoting Vietnamese culture, country and people to the world and enriching the world's cultural treasure.
In that spirit, Vietnam is running for membership in the World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 term to have the opportunity to contribute more actively to the implementation of the 1972 Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
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| Members of the Vietnamese delegation after UNESCO recognized Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba as a World Natural Heritage. |
The Vietnamese delegation attending the Session was large with the presence of Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to UNESCO Le Thi Hong Van; Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Le Thi Thu Hien; representatives of the Secretariat of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local leaders including: Chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province Nguyen Van Phuong; Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hanoi City Vu Thu Ha; Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh Province Nguyen Thi Hanh; Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hai Phong City Le Khac Nam and leaders of local Departments and the Management Board of World Heritages in Vietnam. The 45th session of the World Heritage Committee is the first in-person session after the Covid-19 pandemic and was postponed from 2022 with many important agendas. The session assessed the conservation and promotion of the values of 260 world heritages, including 3 Vietnamese heritages: Ha Long Bay (before expanding to Cat Ba), Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex; reviewed 53 dossiers of nomination for new world heritages/adjusted boundaries; revised guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention; contents on finance, heritage conservation funds, etc. The World Heritage Convention, established in 1972, is an important convention with the participation of 195 countries, with the goal of protecting and preserving cultural and natural heritages for the present and the future, and is a legal basis and tool to help member countries preserve cultural and natural heritages, serving sustainable development. After 36 years of being a member of the Convention, Vietnam has 8 world cultural and natural heritages registered. The World Heritage Committee, consisting of 21 members, is the mechanism responsible for managing the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and supporting member states in the conservation of world heritage. The World Heritage Committee is considered one of the most important mechanisms of UNESCO, recommending orientations, policies, and measures for the management and conservation of world heritage, considering the inscription of new world heritages, and endangered world heritages in need of urgent conservation support for member states. |
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