Protection of the cultural heritage: congratulated municipalities to take responsibility!

Protection of the cultural heritage: congratulated municipalities to take responsibility!

Vietnam - Mass media report on the increasing damage of historical relics and national cultural monuments in Vietnam. On May 28, 2025, Vice Prime Minister Mai van Chinh published Official Journal No. 4729/VPCP-KGVX, in which the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism was commissioned to ensure compliance with the law on the cultural heritage and international UNESCO contracts. This measure follows a growing concern about the state of the cultural heritage in the country.

In order to improve the situation, the Ministry was instructed to work closely with Volkskommittees and relevant authorities. The aim is to observe the situation and find sustainable solutions. In the office instruction, the municipal administrations also appeal to strictly protect the cultural heritage and to consistently implement the legal framework.

Conservation and restoration

The Ministry has given clear instructions for the preservation, restoration and beautification of relics and cultural heritage sites. Various measures are required, including the review of all inventories and classified relics and the clarification of responsibilities. The protection of relics and artifacts is to be improved by new regulations that have already been issued.

The population is to be sensitized by propaganda and education for relics. In addition, the focus is on the implementation of the new law on the cultural heritage, which comes into force on July 1, 2025. The municipalities are asked to prepare the necessary conditions for the state administration of the cultural heritage and to carry out training for civil servants.

Global challenges for the cultural heritage

The cultural heritage has to deal with numerous challenges worldwide. According to the UNESCO chair, which works for research on cultural heritage and international contract law, the protection of cultural values ​​is urgently necessary not only in peace, but in particular in times of war. Climate change already has serious effects on natural and cultural sodies. The destruction of cultural assets is now often carried out by non-state actors in crisis areas, which is considered a targeted attack on the common legacy of mankind.

Massive destruction were documented in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where the deliberate breakdown of cultural assets as a crime against humanity is condemned. In 2003, UNESCO said goodbye to an explanation that is directed against these acts, and the "Unite4-Heritage" campaign asked to actively act against extremism and radicalization. These efforts are also reflected in the publications of experts, including Sabine von Schorlemer, who deal with the legal discussion in the intentional destruction of cultural goods.

In view of these global threats, it is all the more important that measures to maintain the cultural heritage are also intensified in Vietnam. The current efforts are a step in the right direction to preserve the cultural values ​​of the country and to secure for future generations.

Further information on the challenges of the cultural heritage, the legal framework and the effects of climate change are on the websites ofVietnam.vnandTu dresdento find.