Vietnam promotes its role as a responsible member of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee
WVR - From July 6-16, at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France, the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee took place with the participation of more than 1,000 delegates from 21 member countries of the Committee and more than 100 observers.
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| Standing Deputy Minister, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Nguyen Minh Vu (5th from left) and UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone Ramirez (6th from left) and members of the Vietnamese delegation attending the Session. |
Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Session.
Also in attendance were Most Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, Vice President of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha; Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Hoang Dao Cuong; Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee; Vice Chairmen of the People's Committees of Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, and Hue provinces; Head of the Internal Affairs Committee of Hue city; the Vietnamese Ambassador to UNESCO; Secretary-General of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; Director General of the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; leaders of provincial departments and sectors; management boards of world heritage sites in Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces; People's Committees of Hanoi and Hai Phong cities; the Secretariat of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO; along with a group of Vietnamese experts.
This is the second time Vietnam has participated as a member of the World Heritage Committee for the 2023–2027 term.
Speaking at the session, Vietnam reaffirmed its consistent focus on effectively implementing the World Heritage Convention, integrating its principles and content into the 2024 Law on Cultural Heritage and the National Target Program on Cultural Development for the 2025–2035 period. Vietnam emphasized placing communities and people at the center, prioritizing the conservation and promotion of the values of its eight World Heritage sites, balancing preservation with socio-economic development, and cooperating effectively with the World Heritage Centre and advisory bodies.
Vietnam committed to continuing its contribution to the World Heritage Fund and called on UNESCO and member states to further strengthen international cooperation, implement the Convention effectively, share experiences, enhance capacity, and promote the participation and contribution of communities, women, and youth.
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| Standing Deputy Minister, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Nguyen Minh Vu, Director of the World Heritage Centre Lazare Eloundou Assomo (8th from right) and members of the Vietnamese delegation. |
On this occasion, on July 10, Standing Deputy Minister and Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Nguyen Minh Vu held meetings and working sessions with Professor Nikolay Nenov, Chairperson of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee; Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture; Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the World Heritage Centre; Marie-Laure Lavenir, Director-General of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS); as well as Heads of Delegation from 20 member countries of the World Heritage Committee, in order to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone Ramirez highly appreciated the outcomes of the historic visit by General Secretary To Lam to UNESCO Headquarters (October 2024), as well as the recent highly successful visit of the UNESCO Director-General to Vietnam (June 2024), both of which significantly elevated the Vietnam–UNESCO partnership and reflected mutual strategic trust and a shared vision.
The Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee and the Director of the World Heritage Centre echoed the view that Vietnam is a strategic, reliable partner making substantive and effective contributions to UNESCO cooperation. Vietnam was recognized as a model of partnership between a member state and the Organization, and as a leading example in the conservation and promotion of heritage values linked to sustainable tourism, economic development, and the livelihoods of local communities.
UNESCO leaders and member states affirmed that Vietnam has developed numerous initiatives and cooperation models in the management, preservation, and promotion of world heritage values, which should be widely shared with other member countries.
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| Standing Deputy Minister, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Nguyen Minh Vu in a conversation with Professor Nikolay Nenov, Chairman of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee (6th from right). |
Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Nguyen Minh Vu expressed his hope that the UNESCO leadership and Secretariat would pay attention to, provide guidance for, and support Vietnam’s new heritage nomination dossiers, such as the Yen Tu – Con Son – Kiep Bac Complex of Monuments and Scenic Landscapes, which is being considered for inscription at this Session; the Oc Eo – Ba The Archaeological Site; Con Moong Cave; Dong Ho Folk Paintings; the Art of Cheo; Mo Muong Ritual Singing; and Ho Chi Minh City – Creative City.
UNESCO and ICOMOS leaders pledged to support Vietnam in preparing and advancing the heritage dossiers proposed by the Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO.
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| Vietnamese delegation attends the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee. |
In recognition of Vietnam’s proactive and cooperative approach, a joint delegation from the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS will visit the country in late July 2025. The mission will assess Vietnam’s progress and provide technical advice to help prepare a scientific report on the conservation status of the site, along with proposals for reconstructing Kinh Thien Palace, to be submitted by February 1, 2026. These efforts will be reviewed at the committee’s 48th session in 2026.
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| The Vietnamese delegation worked with Director General of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Marie-Laure Lavenir (4th from left). |
In the evening of the same day (local time), the World Heritage Committee unanimously adopted Decision 47 COM 7B.92 regarding the conservation and promotion of the world heritage site of the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The Decision acknowledged the positive progress made by the State Party in implementing the recommendations of the 2024 Committee Session, particularly the Central Axis Vision, the Archaeological Strategy, and the Heritage Interpretation Strategy for the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.
Notably, the Committee recommended that Vietnam continue promoting interdisciplinary research following the dismantling of buildings already approved by the Committee, in order to clarify and elaborate the Central Axis Vision of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, with a focus on the restoration of Kinh Thien Palace and the Main Kinh Thien Hall Space.
Recognizing Vietnam’s proactive, constructive, and respectful approach in promptly addressing the Committee’s recommendations, and continuing the effective cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO, a joint delegation from the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS will visit Vietnam at the end of July 2025.
The purpose of the visit is to assess Vietnam’s implementation efforts, provide guidance in preparing the scientific documentation for the State of Conservation Report of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, and support the development of a restoration strategy for Kinh Thien Palace and the Main Hall Space, which is to be submitted by February 1, 2026. The World Heritage Committee will review and consider the proposal at its 48th Session in 2026.
The World Heritage Committee is one of the most important executive bodies of UNESCO, with the participation of 21 members, having the right to decide on key issues related to the recognition of world cultural and natural heritages; reviewing and evaluating the conservation status of world heritages worldwide; deciding on policies, budgets, guidelines, and development orientations of the World Heritage Convention. This session will consider 30 new nominations, expand 2 heritages, and review the conservation status of 248 world heritages that have been inscribed.
The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee runs from July 6 to 16 in Paris, gathering over 1,000 delegates from 21 member states and more than 100 observers. The session will consider 30 new nominations, two extensions of existing sites, and review the conservation status of 248 listed World Heritage properties.
(Source: Vietnamese Mission to UNESCO)
