UNESCO chief representative in Vietnam – Ms. Katherine Muller Marin – presents the certificate to Minister of Internal Affairs Nguyen Thai Binh.

The official documents of the Nguyen Dynasty were officially recognized as the World Documentary Heritage by the UNESCO on May 14, at the sixth plenary meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia/Pacific in Guangzhou City, China.

These documents were compiled by administrative organs before being submitted to the Nguyen Dynasty Kings for approval. They are important documents for researchers to learn about the history, culture and life of Vietnamese people from the 19th to early 20th centuries because they bear Nguyen Dynasty Kings’ writings on the state’s activities.

The archives are a valuable source for studying history, culture and the feudal court's activities as well as Vietnam's society in the 19th century, said Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh, Minister of Home Affairs.

“The documents not only contain historical facts but also are valuable evidence of Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Sa (Paracel and Spratly Islands),” said Minister Binh.

With the recognition of the Nguyen Dynasty’s official documents, Vietnam now has four World Documentary Heritages, including wood-block documents of the Nguyen Dynasty, wood-block documents of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and 82 stone steles at the Temple of Literature.

PV