Preserving and promoting heritage value - way to foster Vietnam’s soft power: PM

Vietnamese relevant agencies and people should be aware of the importance of preserving and developing heritage values to nurture the country’s soft power, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the ceremony. Photo: VGP

Accordingly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Education and Training; Information and Communications; Culture, Sport and Tourism, among others should asume responsibilities for this task and prioritize it, the PM said at a ceremony in Quang Nam province. 

The ceremony was held last weekend to mark 20 years since the ancient town of Hoi An and My Son temple complex were recognized as World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO and the 10th anniversary of the recognition of Cu Lao Cham (The Cham Islands)  as World Biosphere Reserve.

In his remark, the Prime Minister stressed that each heritage in the homeland is a proof showing the country's longlasting value which has been passed for generations.

The charming lanscape of Cham Islands. Photo by free3yourmind/Flickr.

For that reason, localities nationwide should focus on promoting the value of heritages or cultural and natural value to tap its potential in tourism. 

Quang Nam province is considered an example for preserving heritage value and developing it for tourism, the PM said.

The ancient town of Hoi An. Photo: Vietnamtravellife.

Quang Nam is home to two unique world cultural heritages namely Hoi An and My Son temple complex which cover cultural, historical and spiritual value from the ancient civilizations of India, China, Japan, the extinct Champa Kingdom and Sa Huynh, among others.

With the financial and manpower support from international organizations as well as other countries namely Japan, Italia, India, Canada and Poland, Vietnam has revived the heritages and relentlessly promoted them to the category of “the best tourism cities of the world”, Travel and Leisure, a travel magazine wrote about Hoi An and My Son.

My Son Sanctuary. Photo: Klook.

CNN, the US cable news network also listed Hoi An as one the most romantic destinations right before the Valentines Day in 2019.

At the ceremony, Phuc also required Quang Nam province to focus on some missions namely continuing the preservation, restoration and promotion projects of Hoi An ancient town and the My Son temple complex – a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples.

He also asked the local government to better the management of the haritages and seek for domestic and foreign investment to improve the tourism products and services in the region.

Micheal Croft, head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Vietnam considered Hoi An an exemplary model of preserving and keeping intangible and tangible natural heritages thanks to good collaboration between the central and the local governments.

Ha An