The journey to becoming a World Cultural Heritage of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex

GD&TĐ - The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son and Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex has been officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.

Ngoa Van Pagoda is located in the Tran Dynasty historical relic site in Dong Trieu ( Quang Ninh ). Photo: TT

This is the result of an arduous journey of building a nomination dossier but has brought great success to Vietnam and localities in the heritage area.

A journey of many efforts

The nomination dossier for Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac is considered a massive scientific work, the crystallization of a meticulous research process lasting many years with the participation of hundreds of domestic and international experts and scientists.

Since 2012, Quang Ninh province has begun to develop a scientific dossier to submit to UNESCO for recognition of Yen Tu Complex of Monuments and Landscapes as a World Heritage Site and submitted the application to UNESCO in 2014. This dossier was officially included in the list of proposed world heritage dossiers on the website of the World Heritage Center.

Initially, the dossier focused on five criteria 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 according to the UNESCO criteria, with the scope of the relics belonging to the two provinces of Quang Ninh and Bac Giang (old). Later, according to the Prime Minister's decision, the relics belonging to the province of Hai Duong (old) were added, causing the dossier to need to be adjusted and rewritten completely.

Since then, Quang Ninh has played a leading role in compiling dossiers, organizing many national and international surveys and workshops to gather expert opinions. In 2015, Mr. Pall Dingwall - an expert from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Professor Hea Un Ri - an expert from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), conducted field surveys in three localities with heritage sites.

Immediately afterwards, on August 18, 2015, a workshop on identifying the global values of Yen Tu was held in Quang Ninh, to seek the opinions of ICOMOS experts for the construction of a world heritage dossier. According to experts, the time to have a complete dossier usually takes from 5 to 10 years, even some countries take nearly 20 years. This shows the great effort and determination of the three localities in the heritage area.

To speed up the progress, at the end of August 2020, a national-level seminar chaired by Quang Ninh province, in coordination with Hai Duong (old) and Bac Giang (old) provinces, was held in Quang Ninh. Here, leading experts in the field of culture and heritage clearly identified the outstanding global values of the Yen Tu relic and landscape complex.

The discussion agreed to name the dossier "Yen Tu Monuments and Landscape Complex", choosing 3 criteria number 3, 5 and 6 to build the dossier, reducing 2 criteria compared to the 2014 dossier.

In February 2021, the official summary report of the dossier was posted on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center in the nomination list. In 2021 - 2022, scientists continued to carry out 3 research topics on cultural, historical, architectural, geological - geomorphological and biodiversity values to supplement scientific documents for the dossier. Many archaeological results, maps, drawings, geological diagrams, remote sensing, relic distribution maps, etc. have been updated.

From June 20 to July 3, 2022, international experts coordinated with Vietnamese researchers to work with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of 3 localities, relic management boards, and conduct field surveys of the entire heritage area. On June 29, 2022, an international scientific conference took place in Hanoi with the participation of nearly 70 domestic and international delegates, to evaluate the documents and agree on the expected criteria that the dossier will meet.

On July 19, 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to change the name of the dossier to "Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex", keeping the 3 criteria 3, 5, 6 to build the dossier.

In January 2024, the dossier was officially completed and submitted to UNESCO. After receiving comments from ICOMOS, the dossier was adjusted from 20 to 12 relic sites, retaining 2 criteria (3 and 6). In August 2024, ICOMOS experts conducted a field assessment. On February 28, 2025, the dossier was further supplemented and sent back to the World Heritage Center and ICOMOS. Quang Ninh also actively participated in expert-level dialogue delegations with ICOMOS, and attended the 221st Session of the UNESCO Executive Board in France from April 6-9, 2025.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh - Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Head of Steering Committee - Head of the Executive Committee for the construction of Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac dossiers said that most recently, from June 10 to 17, 2025, Quang Ninh organized a working delegation led by the provincial leader, participating with the delegation of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO to go to the French Republic, conducting a legal campaign for the dossier of the nominated Heritage Complex.

The event to promote the cultural and spiritual values of the heritage complex was held at the Vietnam Cultural Center in France. The delegation worked directly with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, Director of the Lazare World Heritage Center Eloundou Assomo, Director General of ICOMOS Marie Laure Lavenir, as well as met privately with 20 ambassadors, heads of delegations of member countries of the World Heritage Committee and the representative of Bulgaria - President of the session - to request support for the registration.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda or Duc La Pagoda (old Bac Giang) is now in Tan An commune, Bac Ninh province. Photo: HG

Kiep Bac Temple is currently located in Tran Hung Dao Ward, Hai Phong City (formerly Chi Linh City, Hai Duong Province). Photo. TT

Joy burst

At 13:02 on July 12, 2025 (Paris time), or 18:02 Vietnam time, at the 47th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Paris (France), Professor Nikolay Nenov (Bulgaria) - Chairman of the session - officially announced the recognition of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex as a World Cultural Heritage. This is the 9th world heritage of Vietnam, and the second inter-provincial heritage after Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago.

The complex consists of 12 relic sites spread across three localities: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and Bac Ninh; with a core area of 525.75 hectares and a buffer area of 4,380.19 hectares. Typical sites include: Thai Mieu, Hoa Yen Pagoda, Lan Pagoda, Ngoa Van Pagoda, Yen Giang stake field (Quang Ninh); Con Son Pagoda, Kiep Bac Temple, Thanh Mai Pagoda, Kinh Chu Cave, Nham Duong Pagoda (Hai Phong); Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, Bo Da Pagoda (Bac Ninh).

The core of the heritage is Truc Lam Buddhism - a Vietnamese Zen sect founded by Emperor Tran Nhan Tong in the 13th century. Truc Lam Buddhism created a system of philosophy and spirit of tolerance, a harmony between Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and indigenous beliefs, contributing greatly to the cultural heritage of humanity.

The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex, with Truc Lam Buddhism as its core, was founded in the 13th century by the Tran Dynasty kings, especially the role of Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong. Truc Lam Buddhism has created many values, making special and sustainable contributions to the cultural and spiritual heritage of humanity.

Originating from the sacred Yen Tu mountain landscape, Truc Lam Buddhism represents a philosophical system and the spirit of tolerance and altruism of Buddhism. Truc Lam Buddhism is also a testament to the harmonious combination of Mahayana Buddhism with Confucian ethics, Taoist cosmology and indigenous Vietnamese beliefs.

The ideological and cultural values of Truc Lam Buddhism in the spirit of reconciliation, harmony and peace are completely consistent with UNESCO's basic goals in maintaining and enriching the common values of humanity: Education, building a culture of peace; spirit of autonomy, harmonious combination between humans and the natural world, respecting the laws of nature.

Through temples, hermitages, pilgrimage routes, stone steles, woodblocks and other carefully preserved relics, distributed over a large area from Yen Tu to Vinh Nghiem and Con Son - Kiep Bac, the heritage fully reflects the development stages of Truc Lam Buddhism: from its establishment and institutionalization to its revival and continued spread of creative and humanistic values.

These relic sites were formed many centuries ago, always showing continuous development, playing the role of religious and spiritual cultural centers, and being destinations for millions of tourists every year.

Experts from various countries came to congratulate the Vietnamese delegation. Photo: INT.

The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex is recognized according to criteria (iii) and (vi): Criterion (iii): Demonstrates the harmonious combination between the State, religion and community in the sacred land of Yen Tu, forming a unique cultural tradition of global significance, contributing to shaping national identity, promoting regional peace; Criterion (vi): Reflects the profound influence of Truc Lam Buddhism - the only Zen sect in Asia founded by a king who abdicated to become a monk, combining beliefs, contributing to promoting the development of secular society, ensuring regional peace and cooperation.

The complex is directly related to the birth and spread of the creative and humanistic values of Truc Lam Buddhism. The continuous organization of rituals, festivals, propagation of Buddhism and pilgrimages to historical sites - both in Vietnam and international Truc Lam Buddhist organizations - proves the sustainable global relevance of the philosophy of life, life values, social community spirit, living in harmony with nature, love of peace and compassion.

The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son - Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage is a great pride not only for the localities in the heritage area but also for the entire nation. Vietnam's heritage has been known, admired and honored by the world. Quang Ninh will continue to implement the project to preserve, restore and promote the value of the heritage in a sustainable manner. At the same time, closely coordinate with Hai Phong and Bac Ninh to build a unified heritage space, ensure full implementation of the World Heritage Convention, associated with sustainable development, contributing to promoting the beauty of the country and people of Vietnam to the world. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh, Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/hanh-trinh-tro-thanh-di-san-van-hoa-the-gioi-cua-quan-the-yen-tu-vinh-nghiem-con-son-kiep-bac-post744213.html