The cultural heritage of Ly Son island district in the central provinceof Quang Ngai is being effectively preserved thanks to the combinedefforts of local people and governing authorities.
Ly Son district is 18 nautical miles off the Vietnamese coast and coversan area of 10 square kilometres. It includes three communes: An Hai, AnVinh and An Binh.
Archaeologists have found thatpeople from the Sa Huynh culture lived on Ly Son Island 3,000 years ago.Then from the late 16th century, numerous clans from the mainland cameto the island and have inhabited it ever since.
Since Sa Huynh, Champa and Viet people lived alongside each other, theculture on the islands is now very rich and diverse.
At present, there are 50 heritage sites and 23 old religious buildingsin the area. Some of the many pagodas, tombs and temples have beenrecognised as sites of provincial or national heritage.
The islands also boasts a lot of intangible cultural heritage, such astraditional boat races and the Hoang Sa Soldier Feast and CommemorationFestival, which was recognised as national heritage in April this year.
Since their establishment in 1993, the managingauthorities of Ly Son island district have been well aware of theimportance of preserving and upholding cultural heritage, consideringthis to be an important task in socio-economic development.
The district People’s Committee has ordered its culture andinformation division to regularly survey heritage, restore culturalbuildings and artefacts that fall into a bad condition and revive fadingcultural forms so that they are not lost forever.
According to Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ly Son district PartyCommittee Nguyen Tai Luan, 85 percent of the locality’s heritage siteshave been restored and their cultural and architectural value remainsintact.
In recent years, a number of activitieshave been revived. The collection of folk songs, proverbs and poems hasbeen declared a great success.
Notably, up to 90 percent of resources for preservation have been contributed by local residents.
Many clans in the district have drawn up their own rules to keepimportant documents safe. For example, the Dang clan carefully preservedan official decree issued by King Minh Mang nearly 180 years ago onsending soldiers from Ly Son to the Hoang Sa archipelago to erectsovereignty marks.
In April 2009, the clan presentedthis document to the Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee, who inturn handed it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be used as legalevidence of Vietnam ’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Saarchipelagos.
This willingness for the islanders towork together with provincial and national authorities to protect theirculture has been met with a positive response.
Luanhas commented that district authorities will now continue improvinglocal people’s awareness of how to preserve the values of culturalheritage and encourage them to contribute personally to restorationefforts. Some will also be trained so that they can work in the culturaland tourism sector.
He emphasised that it isnecessary to consult experts and elderly people who are knowledgeableabout the local culture in order to ensure that successful preservationefforts continue.-VNA
Ly Son district is 18 nautical miles off the Vietnamese coast and coversan area of 10 square kilometres. It includes three communes: An Hai, AnVinh and An Binh.
Archaeologists have found thatpeople from the Sa Huynh culture lived on Ly Son Island 3,000 years ago.Then from the late 16th century, numerous clans from the mainland cameto the island and have inhabited it ever since.
Since Sa Huynh, Champa and Viet people lived alongside each other, theculture on the islands is now very rich and diverse.
At present, there are 50 heritage sites and 23 old religious buildingsin the area. Some of the many pagodas, tombs and temples have beenrecognised as sites of provincial or national heritage.
The islands also boasts a lot of intangible cultural heritage, such astraditional boat races and the Hoang Sa Soldier Feast and CommemorationFestival, which was recognised as national heritage in April this year.
Since their establishment in 1993, the managingauthorities of Ly Son island district have been well aware of theimportance of preserving and upholding cultural heritage, consideringthis to be an important task in socio-economic development.
The district People’s Committee has ordered its culture andinformation division to regularly survey heritage, restore culturalbuildings and artefacts that fall into a bad condition and revive fadingcultural forms so that they are not lost forever.
According to Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ly Son district PartyCommittee Nguyen Tai Luan, 85 percent of the locality’s heritage siteshave been restored and their cultural and architectural value remainsintact.
In recent years, a number of activitieshave been revived. The collection of folk songs, proverbs and poems hasbeen declared a great success.
Notably, up to 90 percent of resources for preservation have been contributed by local residents.
Many clans in the district have drawn up their own rules to keepimportant documents safe. For example, the Dang clan carefully preservedan official decree issued by King Minh Mang nearly 180 years ago onsending soldiers from Ly Son to the Hoang Sa archipelago to erectsovereignty marks.
In April 2009, the clan presentedthis document to the Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee, who inturn handed it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be used as legalevidence of Vietnam ’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa and Truong Saarchipelagos.
This willingness for the islanders towork together with provincial and national authorities to protect theirculture has been met with a positive response.
Luanhas commented that district authorities will now continue improvinglocal people’s awareness of how to preserve the values of culturalheritage and encourage them to contribute personally to restorationefforts. Some will also be trained so that they can work in the culturaland tourism sector.
He emphasised that it isnecessary to consult experts and elderly people who are knowledgeableabout the local culture in order to ensure that successful preservationefforts continue.-VNA
