Attending the conference were Dr. Rima Hooja, ICOMOS expert from India; leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Chairperson of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; the National Cultural Heritage Council; Head of the Culture Unit of the UNESCO Representative Office in Hanoi Pham Thi Thanh Huong; experts and researchers; representatives of the leadership of departments, agencies, and sectors; and local leaders.

Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the Party organization, authorities, and people of An Giang Province, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of An Giang Province Tran Thi Thanh Huong respectfully extended her welcome and best wishes for good health to the doctor, the experts, the scientists, and all the delegates who had come to An Giang.

The Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of An Giang Province stated that Oc Eo – Ba The is a place that preserves the special vestiges of an ancient culture that once flourished in the Southern region, while also reflecting the open exchanges and connections between the inhabitants of this land and the regions of Southeast Asia and the world. Therefore, for An Giang, building the Oc Eo – Ba The nomination dossier is not only a scientific task but also a responsibility to preserve historical memory, safeguard cultural values, and pass the heritage on to future generations.

Presenting at the working session, Dr. Truong Dac Chien, a member of the expert team drafting the nomination dossier, stated that the Oc Eo – Ba The archaeological site is located in An Giang Province, in the lower Mekong River region of Southern Vietnam. This is a large-scale archaeological complex and one of the most representative and comprehensive centres of the Oc Eo culture, which developed from around the 1st to the 7th century AD and was closely tied to the formation and development of the Funan Kingdom – one of the earliest political entities in Southeast Asia.

The nominated heritage comprises four component areas that are organically related and functionally complementary: the Ba The Mountain area (Area A), the Oc Eo urban area (Area B), Giong Xoai (Area C), and Nen Chua (Area D). The total area of the nominated zone is 453.1 hectares, with a buffer zone of 946.3 hectares. Together, these four areas reflect a developed urban – religious – commercial system, comprising spaces for residence, handicraft production, religious architecture, a waterway transport network, and a gateway toward the sea.

Oc Eo – Ba The stands out for the scale of its relics, the diversity of its functions, and the exceptionally rich volume of archaeological materials. Thousands of artefacts – such as votive statues, inscriptions, jewellery, casting moulds, production tools, currency, and goods imported from India, China, West Asia, and the Mediterranean – demonstrate the region’s important position in trans-Asian cultural and commercial exchange. The heritage is nominated under criteria (ii) and (iii) of the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

Oc Eo – Ba The lies within the Long Xuyen Quadrangle, a part of the lower Mekong Delta formed by sea-level fluctuations, alluvial deposition, and geological processes during the Holocene epoch. During the 1st millennium BC and the early centuries AD, this was a vast coastal – estuarine region with marshes, natural canals, and strips of high ground amid the flooded plain. Ba The Mountain rose as an important topographical landmark, providing elevated dwelling grounds, sources of fresh water, and building materials, and gradually became a “sacred mountain.”

Accordingly, the delegates focused their discussions on the nomination dossier and the management plan; regulations on the management of cultural heritage within the nominated heritage area; and the management work and the approval process for construction investment projects within the nominated heritage area, among other matters.

In his concluding remarks at the working session, An Giang Provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Le Van Phuoc stated that this field survey was an important step in ICOMOS’s scientific, independent, and objective evaluation process. In a spirit of openness to learning and the highest sense of responsibility, An Giang Province had fully prepared the dossier, materials, scientific data, team of experts, and necessary conditions for Dr. Rima Hooja to directly access the important components of the heritage – from Ba The Mountain and the ancient city of Oc Eo to Giong Xoai, Nen Chua, and related areas. Through this, it was hoped that the survey would give Dr. Rima Hooja further practical grounds to fully assess the value of Oc Eo – Ba The.

The Vice Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People’s Committee emphasized that An Giang has always maintained the view: “Inscription as a World Heritage Site is not the final destination, but the beginning of a greater responsibility.” At the same time, he affirmed that the province is committed to continuing to protect the authenticity, integrity, and outstanding universal values of the heritage; to strengthening scientific research; and to mobilizing resources for the conservation and promotion of the heritage’s values in a sustainable manner, in harmony with community life and socio-economic development. Should it be inscribed by UNESCO, this would be a source of pride for An Giang in particular and Vietnam in general, and would also be our new commitment to the international community regarding the responsibility of preserving a part of the shared heritage of humankind.

News by BICH THUY