The event took place on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day, affirming the outstanding value of the Oc Eo - Ba The heritage and opening a new journey on the road to World Cultural Heritage.

At the ceremony, the Department of Culture and Sports announced the Prime Minister's Decision to recognize national treasures (13th batch) in 2024 of An Giang province, including: Linh Son Bac Buddha statue head, dating from the 1st - 3rd century and Go Cay Tram jar tomb, dating from the 4th - 5th century, currently kept at the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board of An Giang province.

Linh Son Bac Buddha Statue Head - Terracotta artifact, depicting the Buddha being sheltered by a 5-headed Naga snake dome - a popular motif in Indian-influenced Buddhist art. The statue was discovered at Linh Son Bac relic site in a cultural layer containing many ceramic relics, tiles, oil lamps, steles... dating from the 1st-2nd to 9th-12th centuries. This is an important testament to the religious and spiritual development of Oc Eo residents.

Go Cay Tram Jar Tomb - Discovered through a joint excavation between Vietnamese and Korean scientific agencies (2018-2019), the jar tomb is located in the early Oc Eo cultural layer (1st-3rd century AD). The artifact is a ceramic jar containing the remains of a child about 7-8 years old, with a disc-shaped lid, demonstrating the typical crafting technique of Oc Eo residents. This is a valuable document that helps identify the succession of residences between cultural layers in the archaeological area.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhien - Director of the Oc Eo Cultural Relics Management Board emphasized that the recognition of two national treasures of Oc Eo culture by the Prime Minister is an event of special significance, affirming the great value of the Oc Eo - Ba The Heritage, highlighting the historical and cultural depth of An Giang land. At the same time, it contributes to enhancing the position and image of the locality in the flow of national culture and opening a new journey towards bringing Oc Eo heritage to the world.

Oc Eo culture is a brilliant archaeological culture, formed and developed from the 1st to the 7th century AD, associated with the kingdom of Phu Nam, one of the largest ancient states in Southeast Asia at that time. Oc Eo culture was identified in 1944 through excavations by French scholar Louis Malleret at Oc Eo field. This culture has left behind a rich, unique and especially valuable system of relics and artifacts.

According to Decision No. 3306/KLVN/2025, the Vietnam Record Center established 3 records for the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board, including:

(1) The unit that propagated and mobilized people to donate the most Oc Eo artifacts: 70 organizations and individuals participated in donating; 7,407 artifacts were received; 2,454 typical artifacts are being preserved and displayed.

(2) The place that preserves the most Phu Nam coins: Oc Eo Culture Exhibition House currently preserves 46 intact Phu Nam coins and 14 pieces of coins, mainly donated by people in Da Noi area (Phu Hoa commune).

(3) The first unit preserving two wooden paddles shaped like Bodhi leaves belonging to the Oc Eo culture found through excavation in Vietnam: Two paddles discovered at Lung Lon - a key research area in the period 2017-2020, showing the role of the ancient canal system in the life of Oc Eo residents.

The leaders of the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board affirmed that the Oc Eo - Ba The relic site (over 433 hectares) was the ancient urban center of the kingdom of Phu Nam from the 2nd to 7th centuries; In 2012, the relic site was ranked as a special National Relic; In 2022, UNESCO included it in the Tentative List of World Cultural Heritage.

Currently, An Giang province is urgently completing the dossier to submit to UNESCO before February 01, 2026, striving to be listed in 2027. At the same time, it has proposed 5 key groups of tasks: promoting research and conservation, enhancing international cooperation, promoting heritage, applying digital technology, and strictly protecting National Treasures according to regulations.

“The recognition of the National Treasure and Vietnam Record is the pride of the Party Committee, government and people of An Giang province; at the same time, it is a driving force to continue preserving and promoting the value of the Oc Eo - Ba The heritage, aiming to reach the world level,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Nhien.

At the ceremony, the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board signed a cooperation agreement on promoting Oc Eo culture for the period 2025 - 2030 with An Giang Newspaper and Radio - Television; signed a cooperation agreement on managing, preserving and promoting the value of Oc Eo cultural relics at the Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Relic Site with the People's Committee of Oc Eo commune; signed a cooperation agreement on managing, preserving and promoting the value of Oc Eo cultural relics at the Giong Xoai and Nen Chua relics with the People's Committee of My Thuan commune.

On this occasion, the organizers presented 100 gifts to people in difficult circumstances in Oc Eo commune./.

News by Nhu Ngoc

Translator: Thi Huynh