The Bas-reliefs on the Nine Dynastic Urns, housed in the Hue Imperial Citadel in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, were inscribed in the Memory of the World Programme for the Asia – Pacific Region on May 5, 2024, marking Vietnam’s 10th UNESCO-recognised documentary heritage element.

The others are Nguyen Dynasty woodblocks, doctoral steles at Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) (Hanoi), the imperial records of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), woodblocks in Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (Bac Giang province), literature on Hue royal architecture (Thua Thien-Hue province), Phuc Giang School woodblocks, “Hoang Hoa su trinh do” (The Envoy’s Journey to China), “ma nhai” steles on Ngu Hanh Son Mountain (Da Nang), and Sino-Nom documents of Truong Luu village (Ha Tinh province).

Truong Luu village in Kim Song Truong commune, Can Loc district, the central province of Ha Tinh, is keeping the Phuc Giang School woodblocks, “Hoang Hoa su trinh do” (The Envoy’s Journey to China), and the Sino-Nom documents.

From left: Phuc Giang School woodblocks, “Hoang Hoa su trinh do” (The Envoy’s Journey to China) (above), and and Sino-Nom documents in Truong Luu village. (Photo: VNA)

Professor Nguyen Huy My, a 16th-generation descendant of the Nguyen Huy family in Truong Luu village, said after the inclusion of the Phuc Giang School woodblocks in the UNESCO list in 2016, his family planned to translate and transcribe the 12 printed volumes, which requires the engagement of experts in different steps, including digitalisation.

The set comprises 383 blocks being well-preserved at the Nguyen Huy family’s residence, he added.

Meanwhile, “Hoang Hoa su trinh do” has been published in four volumes, with an English version made public late 2018.

For the literature on Hue royal architecture in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue, there are 2,547 poetic pieces carved or embossed on different types of wood, enamel and porcelain, among other materials.

Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said relevant agencies have been working hard to promote the value of such unique documentary heritage through the media, publications and booklets, helping the public understand more about heritage contents and meaning and serving research work.

For the literature on Hue royal architecture in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue, there are 2,547 poetic pieces carved or embossed on different types of wood, enamel and porcelain, among other materials. (Photo: VNA)

The collection of imperial records of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam, was recognised as documentary heritage of the Memory of the World Programme in the Asia-Pacific Region in 2014, and as one of 78 pieces of world documentary heritage in 2017 by the UNESCO. It is the only original administrative record with kings’ handwritings on them in Vietnam and one of the few of its kinds in the world.  

The collection of imperial records of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam, is the only original administrative record with kings’ handwritings on them in Vietnam and one of the few of its kinds in the world.  

The Nine Dynastic Urns, all meticulously crafted, stand horizontally within the The To Mieu (To Mieu Temple) courtyard in the Hue Imperial Citadel, a place to worship the Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty – the last feudal regime which ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945.

The intricate bas-reliefs, comprising 162 images and Chinese characters, on the urns’ surfaces are a unique and rare source of information about the history, culture – education, geography, feng shui, medicine, art and calligraphy of the time.

Law needed for documentary heritage conservation

Head of the Cultural Heritage Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Thu Hien, who is also Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Committee for Memory of the World (MOW), affirmed that documentary heritage contributes significantly to promoting the reading culture, the fondness for learning, historical traditions, and national identities.

Such educational values in the fields of history, geography, the traditional fondness for learning, and morality, can be found in the Phuc Giang School woodblocks; and the philosophy of nurturing and developing the pool of talents has been reflected in the doctoral steles at Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam.

Meanwhile, the woodblocks in Vinh Nghiem Pagoda feature the history of Buddhism, and folk medicines and the development of the healthcare sector.

Documentary heritage is a kind of cultural heritage, yet it has not been prescribed in the national legal system. Although it is diverse in types and forms, the heritage is on the verge of disappearing due to the impacts of wars, natural disasters, and other factors such as insects and mold, as well as poor awareness. Another factor behind document loss lies with the transition of feudal dynasties.

Therefore, the items need to be inventoried, protected and promoted under unified management, which will be done through the building of a new chapter of the draft Cultural Heritage Law (amended).

According to Prof. My, the most prominent feature of the draft law is the inclusion of documentary heritage into the list of tangible and intangible heritage, which also comes with exclusive tasks and solutions.

As the concept of documentary heritage is quite new to the public, the communications work should be stepped up to raise their awareness of heritage significance and encourage people to engage in protection, nomination and promotion of heritage values.

Currently, some families in the central province of Nghe Tinh and Nghe An are preserving documentary heritage passed down from their ancestors. However, they have found it hard to access state budget to better the conservation work.

Given this, the professor suggested reviewing the above-said law’s Article 54 prescribing the responsibility for managing, protecting and promoting documentary heritage values, further explaining that Sino-Nom heritage such as ordinations, inscriptions, and diplomas are mostly kept by families.

In addition, personnel training in service of the preservation work in Vietnam has not caught up with requirements, forcing new employees at museums, libraries, and archives agencies to spend time getting acquainted with the work, and even to undergo further training, he said, noting that this issue should be also clarified in the law./. VNA