UNESCO official applauds Ninh Binh for heritage value promotion

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations Firmin Edouard Matoko on October 28 applauded the northern province of Ninh Binh for its determination, commitment and direction in preserving and promoting the value of Trang An heritage site.

Phat Diem Stone Church in Ninh Binh province

Speaking at a meeting with the Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Doan Minh Huan, the official who is leading a UNESCO delegation on an official visit to Vietnam from October 25-30, affirmed that UNESCO will always accompany the locality in preserving and promoting heritage values.

He voiced approval and appreciation of the province's goals, visions and development orientations, saying that Ninh Binh has the foundation to become a millennium heritage city and a creative city in the future.

He said UNESCO will connect Ninh Binh with international experts in related fields and organise forums for the province to learn from similar models in the world.

At the same time, UNESCO will consider selecting Ninh Binh to host UNESCO conferences and share the province's experiences in heritage preservation and promotion as well as in the successful coordination with UNESCO and countries in the region.

For his part, Huan assessed that the visit by the UNESCO delegation is of great significance as it takes place when Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex celebrates the 10th anniversary of its UNESCO recognition as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Huan said that he hopes that UNESCO will organise a forum in Ninh Binh to announce a manifesto or charter on Trang An and deliver specific messages about the heritage site development model that harmoniously combines conservation and community-based tourism development, as well as the close coordination between the State, businesses and people.

The provincial official called on UNESCO to continue to support Ninh Binh's efforts to have more cultural and natural heritage sites recognised by 2035 such as Phat Diem Stone Church, Hoa Lu Great Wall, Thien Ton pagoda, or poetry engraved on Duc Thuy Son stone./.

VNA