An Giang races to complete UNESCO nomination dossier for Oc Eo-Ba The archaeological site

Nguyen Van Nhien, Director of the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board in An Giang province, speaks at the working session. (Photo: VNA)

An Giang (VNA) – Authorities in An Giang province are accelerating efforts to finalise UNESCO nomination dossier for Oc Eo–Ba The archaeological site located in Oc Eo commune.

At a working session on July 8 with the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board, Vice Chairman of the An Giang People’s Committee Le Trung Ho urged local agencies to ensure that the nomination process stays on track despite the ongoing restructuring of the administrative and political apparatus.

He emphasised that building the dossier must be treated as a key political task and called on all departments to continue raising public awareness of its importance.

Over recent years, both central and provincial authorities have invested in archaeological research and preservation efforts. The Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board has worked with experts to excavate, protect artefacts, and draft the nomination file for submission to UNESCO. An Giang province has already completed the first phase of this process.

On January 4, 2022, UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre officially added the Oc Eo–Ba The site to its tentative list for World Heritage nominations. Ho also acknowledged ongoing challenges and warned that delays in resolving issues could affect the timeline for UNESCO recognition. He urged local authorities to establish a steering committee and task force to oversee the dossier and ensure smooth coordination across departments.

The province aims to submit the final dossier to UNESCO by the end of 2025.

The special national relic, representing the ancient Oc Eo Civilisation, spans 433.1 hectares in Oc Eo commune. The civilisation, which flourished in southern Vietnam from the 1st to the 7th centuries, was first discovered in 1942 by French archaeologist Louis Malleret through artefacts unearthed in Ba The Mountain area, now part of Oc Eo commune.

Currently, An Giang is home to more than 80 Oc Eo relic sites. Among them, Oc Eo - Ba The stands out as a key location. Once a bustling urban centre, port city, and major economic and cultural hub of the ancient Kingdom of Phu Nam, it was recognised as a special national relic site in 2012.

In October 2021, the Prime Minister approved the submission of a brief report to UNESCO, proposing the site for inclusion in the tentative list of world heritage sites./.

VNA