From April 19–24, a provincial working delegation led by Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Le Van Phuoc made a working trip to Paris, France. 

The main objective of the provincial delegation, joining the delegation of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was to attend the 224th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board. 

At the same time, the delegation sought to gain goodwill, support, and advice from UNESCO leadership, ICOMOS, the World Heritage Centre, and several member states of the World Heritage Committee for the World Heritage nomination dossier of the Oc Eo - Ba Thê Archaeological Site.

According to Nguyen Khac Nguyen, Deputy Director of the Oc Eo Cultural Heritage Management Board, the World Heritage nomination dossier for the Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Site was officially submitted to the World Heritage Centre on January 29, 2026.

Afterward, the dossier was forwarded to ICOMOS to carry out the evaluation process, and ICOMOS is scheduled to send experts to An Giang for an on-site assessment in August 2026. 

ICOMOS’s evaluation results will serve as the basis for the World Heritage Committee to make a decision on inscription in 2027. 

Therefore, the 224th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board is the best opportunity for the province to intensify its international advocacy for the Oc Eo site dossier.

During the program attending the 224th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board, the provincial working delegation, together with the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met and worked with the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, the Director of the World Heritage Centre, the Director-General of ICOMOS, and the President of the 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Assembly… 

“The greatest achievement of the provincial delegation during this working trip was securing strong support and goodwill from UNESCO leadership. At the same time, during the working session with ICOMOS, the delegation received advice on the nomination dossier evaluation process and on several issues related to preparing for ICOMOS experts’ on-site assessment,” Mr. Nguyen said.

To prepare for the tasks related to the nomination dossier in the next phase, the Oc Eo Cultural Heritage Management Board is advising the Provincial People’s Committee to ensure thorough preparations for receiving and working with ICOMOS experts during the on-site evaluation, and to be ready for meetings, dialogues, and presentations (both in-person and online) with ICOMOS regarding the contents of the nomination dossier.

Upon returning from France, the atmosphere of preparation in the Oc Eo - Ba The heritage area has become urgent.  To receive the international expert delegation, the Oc Eo Cultural Heritage Management Board is focusing efforts on upgrading infrastructure, restoring heritage sites, and improving the exhibition space and artifact storage facilities.  Beyond these tangible works, outreach and advocacy efforts targeting residents of Oc Eo and My Thuan communes are also being prioritized.

Oc Eo culture was once distributed across a vast area covering most of the Mekong Delta provinces and parts of southeastern Vietnam.  

Within this area, the Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Site, located in Oc Eo and My Thuan communes, was selected for the World Heritage nomination dossier. The reason is that this area became a religious center and a pre-port urban hub, evidenced by traces of residential settlements and craft production, including glassmaking and metalworking. At its peak, it developed into a renowned maritime trade gateway, connecting Oc Eo to the international trade network.

From those exceptional historical, cultural, and scientific values, the Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Site is not only a source of pride for the locality but also a shared heritage of the community. 

Preserving and promoting the value of the heritage is not only the responsibility of state management agencies but also requires the direct, voluntary, and ongoing participation of every citizen through concrete actions to preserve, protect, and pass on the precious values of the heritage to future generations.

The working trip to Paris by the provincial delegation not only brought back commitments of support from international organizations but also affirmed the position of the Oc Eo - Ba The cultural heritage on the world cultural map. With the determination of the entire political system, it is believed that the day when the Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Site is inscribed as a World Heritage Site is drawing closer./.

News by Phuong Lan