Connecting Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac heritage space

Outstanding value

Hai Phong is a land rich in cultural and historical layers. Of the 12 relics in the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac complex recognized by UNESCO, five are in Hai Phong, bearing global value and demonstrating the enduring vitality of the Truc Lam Zen sect and the cultural influence of Dai Viet (former name of Vietnam).

Con Son pagoda is associated with World Cultural Figure Nguyen Trai and was a Buddhist center during the Tran dynasty. Thanh Mai pagoda is linked with Phap Loa, the second patriarch of the Truc Lam Zen sect. Kiep Bac temple honors Hung Dao Dai Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan, a world-renowned general. Kinh Chu grotto preserves a unique system of rock inscriptions reflecting religious and academic life over centuries. Nham Duong pagoda is considered the “ancestor” of woodblock printing, home to Buddhist scripture woodblocks that initiated the nation’s ancient printing tradition.

“The five monuments in Hai Phong, with their distinctive tangible and intangible cultural values, play an important role in creating a world-class heritage narrative, affirming the integrity and authenticity of the Yen Tu - Vinh Nghiem - Con Son, Kiep Bac complex,” affirmed Nguyen Thi Thuy Lien, Head of the Con Son - Kiep Bac Relics Management Board.

Heritage connection

Hai Phong is home to nearly 3,000 relics, among which the five newly recognized by UNESCO hold a special role. To promote their value, alongside preservation and restoration, heritage promotion needs to be strengthened, especially through festivals.

The 2025 Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival is about to take place, the first since the UNESCO recognition of the five relics. Therefore, this year’s festival holds great significance and will be upgraded in scale. Chairman of the city People’s Committee Le Ngoc Chau emphasized: “The 2025 Con Son - Kiep Bac Autumn Festival not only honors the merits of our ancestors and promotes the heritage values recognized by UNESCO, but also affirms Hai Phong’s position as a distinctive and attractive cultural and tourist destination in the region and the whole country.”

At the festival, new tourism products will be introduced as an important step to connect the five relics, thereby expanding links with other destinations and relics in the city, forming a unified and influential heritage space.

In fact, heritage connection goes beyond a single locality. During the 12 years of preparing the dossier for the recognition, Quang Ninh province, Bac Ninh province, and Hai Phong city always stood side by side in close cooperation. Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stressed that the inscription of the complex not only strengthens regional linkage and builds a unified heritage space but also contributes to promoting the image of Vietnam and its people.

The harmony between preservation and development is the key for heritage to shine. With its central connecting role in the world heritage complex, Hai Phong will continue to affirm its position, contributing to bringing the homeland’s heritage into the flow of human culture.

TUAN LINH