Attending were representatives of relevant departments and sectors; members of the Executive Team for developing the scientific dossier for the Oc Eo – Ba The Archaeological Site of An Giang Province; and Contractor Package No. 3—the consortium responsible for preparing the nomination file and management plan—comprising the Institute for Conservation of Monuments, the Center for Applied Research on Geology, Heritage and Environment, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; along with delegates from My Thuan Commune and Oc Eo Commune.

The Oc Eo – Ba The culture is an important archaeological culture of the Kingdom of Funan, flourishing from the 1st to the 7th century CE in the lower Mekong region (Vietnam). The Oc Eo – Ba The site in An Giang was a key center of this culture, once a bustling urban settlement and port with numerous remains of architecture, urban planning, religion, and international trade. The site has been designated a Special National Relic and is in the process of preparing its dossier for submission to UNESCO for World Heritage recognition. 

According to the Oc Eo Cultural Relics Management Board, public bidding has been conducted to select contractors for Packages No. 3, 4, and 5. At present, Package No. 5 has fully completed its tasks and disbursed funds for demarcating and installing protective markers for the Oc Eo – Ba The Special National Relic. Regarding Package No. 4 (communications and promotion), one documentary film has been completed; additional features are being produced for broadcast on national and international television; souvenirs are being developed; and the nomination dossier is scheduled to be submitted to the World Heritage Center in Paris, France, in 2025. Package No. 3 covers preparation of the nomination file and the management plan for the Oc Eo – Ba The Archaeological Site. The province has organized an international scientific workshop to consult on the “Outstanding Universal Value and nomination criteria for the Oc Eo – Ba The Archaeological Site,” and has worked with central ministries and agencies on issues related to the site’s nomination dossier. The total estimated budget is VND 36,865,007,000, of which VND 36,418,760,000 is from the provincial budget and VND 446,247,000 is from socialization sources.

In the time ahead, the Oc Eo Cultural Relics Management Board will continue to revise and finalize the nomination dossier in accordance with feedback from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, central ministries and agencies, and the National Cultural Heritage Council. It will receive the World Heritage Center’s preliminary evaluation of the draft dossier and continue revisions per the recommendations. 

A scientific workshop will be organized to gather input from domestic experts to improve the dossier (tentatively in Hanoi on 24/11/2025). The dossier will then be finalized and submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for appraisal and submission to the Prime Minister for approval to transmit to UNESCO’s World Heritage Center (target completion before 15/12/2025).

In his concluding remarks, Vice Chairman Le Van Phuoc generally agreed with the reports of the site management board and the consulting unit on the preparation of the dossier. Looking ahead, he stressed that preparing the nomination dossier for the Oc Eo – Ba The archaeological cultural site for UNESCO recognition as a World Heritage Site is a politically important task for the nation in general and An Giang Province in particular. He therefore requested the Oc Eo site management board, together with relevant departments and consulting units, to make every effort to meet the schedule and ensure dossier quality. 

He assigned the Oc Eo site management board to promptly consolidate its Executive Board and Working Group and to allocate specific tasks to each member; as the project owner, the board must strengthen coordination with central ministries, provincial departments, and related localities, proactively performing tasks to resolve difficulties and obstacles, and promptly reporting beyond-mandate issues to higher authorities for consideration and resolution; it should lead and coordinate with relevant departments to develop detailed daily and weekly schedules in the spirit of “six clarities”: clear person, clear task, clear timeline, clear responsibility, clear deliverable, and clear authority; and intensify public communications to foster consensus among residents of Oc Eo and My Thuan communes.

The Vice Chairman agreed to organize working delegations from An Giang Province to consult with central ministries and agencies on submitting the official nomination dossier to UNESCO; and to arrange study visits to the World Heritage property “Complex of Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son, Kiep Bac” in Quang Ninh Province to exchange experience in working with UNESCO missions, defending the nomination dossier, and managing and conserving the heritage after inscription./.  

 Reported by Bich Thuy

Translated by Kim Thuan