The Trang An complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh received acertificate from UNESCO certificate officially recognising it as acombined natural and cultural World Heritage site at a grand ceremony onJanuary 23.
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Duc Dam said the recognition of many sites and traditionsin Vietnam as world heritages reflects the international community'sacknowledgement of the nation’s priceless treasures.
Trang Anmakes all Vietnamese proud of their nation's heroic history, he said,noting that Trang An was a resistance base against the Yuan Mongolianinvaders and a base for Buddhism.
Katherine Muller-Marin, Headof the UNESCO office in Vietnam, said that the values of Trang An willbe protected under the World Heritage Convention.
Beforemaking the UNESCO list, Trang An was already a famous tourism complex,she said. With the new title, tourism development will be cherished bythe local government and local community, she said.
Trang Ancomplex has many stories about how ancient communities adapted toenvironmental and climate changes and "we want to hear these stories,"she added.
UNESCO acknowledges efforts by Vietnamese Government in planning and preserving this complex, she said.
The Chairman of Ninh Binh province's People's Committee, Dinh Van Dien, said it was a special day for Ninh Binh.
"The province will make plans and submit them to the Prime Minister,providing a foundation for regulations to protect the heritage.
"We will focus on training human resources, study cultural andhistorical values, and encourage tourists to join hands in protectingthe environment," he said.
A unanimous decision taken at the38th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Doha on June 23last year made the complex the first combined natural and cultural siteof Vietnam and Southeast Asia to get the coveted recognition.
The complex met UNESCO's three main criteria on cultural, aesthetic andgeographical values with scientists finding a lot of evidence ofinteraction between early human beings and the environment, and ofpeople's adaptation to fierce climate changes.
Aesthetically,the complex offers magnificent scenic views with karst mountains risingover still-water streams. The mountains host many mysterious caves andholy pagodas.
In terms of geographical and geomorphologicvalues, the complex is evidence of the latest development period ofkarst in a humid tropical climate.
In UNESCO's words, "TrangAn is a resplendent complex of limestone karst peaks which are permeatedwith valleys, including submerged ones, and surrounded by steep, almostvertical cliffs", nestling on the southern shore of the Red RiverDelta.
Archaeological traces of human activity dating back thousands of years have been found within the complex.
The Trang An complex boasts several nationally recognised sites likethe Trang An ecotourism site and Hoa Lu, Vietnam's capital in the 10thand 11th centuries.
The area also has many other temples, pagodas, paddy fields, villages, and other sacred sites.
It is home to around 500 flora species, 73 species of birds and 41species of other animals, and has a diverse ecosystem with uniquegeological characteristics.
Last year, the site received nearly 4.8 million tourists.-VNA
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Duc Dam said the recognition of many sites and traditionsin Vietnam as world heritages reflects the international community'sacknowledgement of the nation’s priceless treasures.
Trang Anmakes all Vietnamese proud of their nation's heroic history, he said,noting that Trang An was a resistance base against the Yuan Mongolianinvaders and a base for Buddhism.
Katherine Muller-Marin, Headof the UNESCO office in Vietnam, said that the values of Trang An willbe protected under the World Heritage Convention.
Beforemaking the UNESCO list, Trang An was already a famous tourism complex,she said. With the new title, tourism development will be cherished bythe local government and local community, she said.
Trang Ancomplex has many stories about how ancient communities adapted toenvironmental and climate changes and "we want to hear these stories,"she added.
UNESCO acknowledges efforts by Vietnamese Government in planning and preserving this complex, she said.
The Chairman of Ninh Binh province's People's Committee, Dinh Van Dien, said it was a special day for Ninh Binh.
"The province will make plans and submit them to the Prime Minister,providing a foundation for regulations to protect the heritage.
"We will focus on training human resources, study cultural andhistorical values, and encourage tourists to join hands in protectingthe environment," he said.
A unanimous decision taken at the38th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Doha on June 23last year made the complex the first combined natural and cultural siteof Vietnam and Southeast Asia to get the coveted recognition.
The complex met UNESCO's three main criteria on cultural, aesthetic andgeographical values with scientists finding a lot of evidence ofinteraction between early human beings and the environment, and ofpeople's adaptation to fierce climate changes.
Aesthetically,the complex offers magnificent scenic views with karst mountains risingover still-water streams. The mountains host many mysterious caves andholy pagodas.
In terms of geographical and geomorphologicvalues, the complex is evidence of the latest development period ofkarst in a humid tropical climate.
In UNESCO's words, "TrangAn is a resplendent complex of limestone karst peaks which are permeatedwith valleys, including submerged ones, and surrounded by steep, almostvertical cliffs", nestling on the southern shore of the Red RiverDelta.
Archaeological traces of human activity dating back thousands of years have been found within the complex.
The Trang An complex boasts several nationally recognised sites likethe Trang An ecotourism site and Hoa Lu, Vietnam's capital in the 10thand 11th centuries.
The area also has many other temples, pagodas, paddy fields, villages, and other sacred sites.
It is home to around 500 flora species, 73 species of birds and 41species of other animals, and has a diverse ecosystem with uniquegeological characteristics.
Last year, the site received nearly 4.8 million tourists.-VNA
