Promoting the cultural, historical, and spiritual values of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac in France

On June 16, at the Vietnam Cultural Center in France, the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO, in collaboration with the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO (under Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province, organized a special event to promote the cultural, historical, and spiritual values of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac relic and scenic complex. 

This complex has currently been nominated for inscription as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris this July.

This special event marks part of Vietnam’s ongoing efforts to elevate the complex to World Heritage status. It is the result of 13 years of persistent research, preparation, and collaboration among scholars, heritage experts, and authorities from the three provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, and Hai Duong.

Attending the event were Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, Nguyen Minh Vu; Vice Chairwoman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Thi Hanh; Most Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's Executive Council and Abbot of Yen Tu Pagoda; Vietnamese Ambassador to France, Dinh Toan Thang, and Ambassador, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO, Nguyen Thi Van Anh.

International participants included Professor Dr. Nikolay Nenov, Chairperson of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, along with ambassadors, delegation heads, and heritage experts from various member states of the Committee.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized that the nomination dossier represents the outcome of 13 years of dedicated research, preservation, and cooperation among scientists, heritage professionals, and local governments. The heritage site is not only a historical testament but also embodies deep spiritual value, connecting humans with nature, a key component of Vietnamese identity.

He reaffirmed Vietnam’s commitment to seriously taking into account the feedback and recommendations from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), particularly in clarifying the site's outstanding universal value and in improving its management and conservation.

Vice Chairwoman of Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee, Nguyen Thi Hanh, shared that the heritage site is a sacred cultural landscape, methodically planned and comprising hundreds of pagodas, temples, towers, and ancient relics. Spanning three provinces, the site forms a unified whole in both spatial and spiritual terms. She also reiterated the strong commitment from all three provinces to safeguard and honor the values of this heritage.

The Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac Complex covers a core area of 525.75 hectares and a buffer zone of 4,380.19 hectares across the provinces of Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, and Hai Duong. As a multi-provincial nomination, the site holds profound religious, cultural, and historical significance, having endured for more than 700 years as a living cultural heritage.

More than just a collection of ancient structures, the site serves as a vivid testimony to the origins and evolution of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, a unique Vietnamese Buddhist sect founded in the 13th century by King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong.