Michael Croft, Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Hanoi, affirmed that Vietnam, which joined the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, has been actively implementing its member state’s responsibility in protecting cultural and natural heritage.

Vietnamese have voiced their strong protest against the building of a road to Cai Ha Mount in the Trang An World’s Heritage core area.

He said UNESCO Vietnam National Committee should be more active to take advantage of international cooperation in heritage conservation.

Truong Quoc Binh, Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, said the convention is an important initiative. Protection of cultural and natural heritage is not only the responsibility of each nation but also the common duty of mankind.

Many cultural and natural heritage sites worldwide bear negative effects from climate change and development.

The protection and promotion of cultural heritage is one of the top concerns of cooperation between the Government of Vietnam and UNESCO.

The international campaign to help Vietnam preserve Hue cultural heritage launched by UNESCO in Hanoi in 1981 achieved encouraging results, both proving the effectiveness of UNESCO's support and assistance and showing Vietnam’s great efforts and the effective use of international assistance.

There are eight recognized cultural and natural heritage sites in Vietnam: Hue Monuments Complex; Ha Long Scenic Area; My Son Sanctuary; Hoi An Ancient Town; Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park; Thang Long Imperial Citadel Center; Ho Dynasty Citadel and Trang An Scenic Area.

Mai Phan Dung from UNESCO Vietnam National Committee, said that these eight heritage sites and other titles such as Global Geopark and World Biosphere Reserve are the pride of Vietnam and contribute to the image of the country and its people.

Binh pointed out that local authorities in some provinces try to make as much money as possible from heritage sites. In principle, heritage sites are the assets of the entire nation and local authorities are in charge of taking care of and protecting them, but they must not be seen as sources of income for localities.

Binh said he doesn’t oppose the exploitation of heritage value, but they must not be used as money making tool.

Vietnamese have voiced their strong protest against the building of a road to Cai Ha Mount in the Trang An World’s Heritage core area. The road aims to attract more tourists to the site and bring more money to the locality, but may destroy the structure of the heritage.

Binh thinks that it’s necessary to heighten the role and responsibility of the heads of localities where violations in heritage conservation occur. Citing the Trang An case, he said the regulations on cultural heritage are not strict. No criminal case has been reported in the field. 

Thien Nhien

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