An Giang: Thematic exhibition "Special National Monument Oc Eo - Ba The ten years of conservation and promotion of values"

Update: 29/09/2022
On the occasion of the 190th anniversary of the establishment of An Giang province (1832 - 2022) and marking a period of transformation when the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological relic site was approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be included in the list of expected nominations for world cultural heritage, a ceremony was held at the Go Cay Thi relic, in Trung Son cluster, Oc Eo town, Thoai Son district An Giang, (located within the special national relic complex Oc Eo - Ba The) on September 27, the Management Board of Oc Eo Cultural Relics of An Giang province organized the thematic exhibition "Oc Eo - Ba The special national relic through 10 years of preserving and promoting value".

Opening thematic exhibition "Oc Eo - Ba The special national relic through 10 years of conservation and promotion of values".

After ten years of being listed as a Special National Monument by the Prime Minister, the exhibition displays more than two hundred priceless photos documenting the preservation and promotion of the significance of Oc Eo - Ba The. All images are displayed graphically on compact, modern materials in conjunction with a visit to the Go Cay Thi Monument (placed in the Oc Eo - Ba The Special National Monument), allowing visitors to fully comprehend the significance of the once-thriving Oc Eo civilization in An Giang.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Gieng, Director of the Management Board of Oc Eo Cultural Relics in An Giang province, stated that since its discovery and identification in 1944, the special national relic site Oc Eo - Ba The has undergone 78 years of excavation and research, Government, An Giang province, Thoai Son district, local and foreign specialists, professional agencies, and scientists have demonstrated that the National Monument Oc Eo - Ba The exists. The encompasses not just national but also international treasures of exceptional quality.

Through this exhibition, the Management Board of Oc Eo Cultural Relics of An Giang province hopes to educate both domestic and international visitors about the values of the Oc Eo Civilization, therefore contributing to the preservation and promotion of Oc Eo cultural heritage. Creating connections between businesses and travel agencies inside and outside the province to form specific tourism products in terms of history - culture, river ecology, countryside, agriculture, and tourism archaeological culture of Oc Eo,... creates a foundation to enrich and diversify tourism products of An Giang province, thereby promoting the "smokeless industry" of the region to more and more develop.

Delegates attending the thematic exhibition.

Oc Eo is a well-known archeological civilization in the South of Vietnam in the early years of AD. Louis Malleret, a French archaeologist discovered and classified the Oc Eo civilization in 1944. An Giang province has about eighty Oc Eo cultural artifacts, including Oc Eo -  Ba The relic, which was determined to have a very important position. This location, where the artifact was discovered, was once a city, a port city, and a key economic and cultural hub of the ancient kingdom of Funan. Oc Eo - Ba The is historically, culturally, architecturally, and artistically significant. In 2012, the Prime Minister designated the artifact as a national unique relic. Specifically, a national monument Oc Eo - Ba The is recognized by scientists and managers as having enough potential and prerequisites to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. On January 4, 2022, the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site was added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's list of potential global cultural heritage sites.

Delegates visiting the exhibition

The exhibition is accessible to the public at no cost until October 27, 2022./.

Author: Cong Mao - Translator: Kim Thuan

Source: An Giang Portal - angiang.gov.vn - September 27, 2022