Protection of cultural heritage: communities called on to take responsibility!

Protection of cultural heritage: communities called on to take responsibility!

Mass media reports on the increasing damage to historical relics and national cultural monuments in Vietnam. On May 28, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh issued Official Gazette No. 4729/VPCP-KGVX, which mandated the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to ensure compliance with the Cultural Heritage Law and international UNESCO treaties. This move follows growing concerns about the state of cultural heritage in the country.

To improve the situation, the ministry was instructed to work closely with people's committees and relevant authorities. The aim is to monitor the situation and find sustainable solutions. The official directive also calls on local administrations to strictly protect cultural heritage and consistently implement the legal framework.

Conservation and restoration

The ministry has given clear instructions on conservation, restoration and beautification of relics and heritage sites. Various measures are called for, including checking all inventoried and classified relics and clarifying responsibilities. The protection of relics and artifacts is to be improved through new regulations that have already been issued.

The population should be made aware of the need to protect relics through propaganda and education. The focus is also on the implementation of the new law on cultural heritage, which comes into force on July 1, 2025. Municipalities are called upon to prepare the necessary conditions for state management of cultural heritage and to conduct training for officials.

Global challenges to cultural heritage

Cultural heritage faces numerous challenges worldwide. According to the UNESCO Chair, which conducts research on cultural heritage and international treaty law, the protection of cultural values ​​becomes urgent not only in times of peace, but especially in times of war. Climate change is already having serious impacts on natural and cultural heritage sites. The destruction of cultural property is now often carried out by non-state actors in crisis areas, which is seen as a targeted attack on humanity's common heritage.

Massive destruction has been documented in countries such as Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where the deliberate destruction of cultural property is condemned as a crime against humanity. In 2003, UNESCO adopted a declaration opposing these acts and the Unite4 Heritage campaign calls for active action against extremism and radicalization. These efforts are also reflected in the publications of experts, including Sabine von Schorlemer, who deal with the legal dispute surrounding the intentional destruction of cultural assets.

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

Further information on the challenges of cultural heritage, the legal framework and the effects of climate change can be found on the websites of Vietnam.vn and TU Dresden to find.