Twenty years of US support for heritage conservation reviewed

The preservation of the 18th-century O Quan Chuong City Gate in Hanoi is one of the 16 projects financed by the US. (Photo: VNA) ảnh

Hanoi (VNA) – The US Embassy and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum organised a workshop to review cooperation in preserving cultural heritage in the Southeast Asian nation in Hanoi on November 23.

Over the past 20 years, thanks to the financial support of the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), created by the US Congress, 16 museums and relic sites in Vietnam have been revived.

The valuable support has contributed to tightening cultural exchange and consolidating the friendship between the two countries.

“Remedy” to heritage

Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, said the Law on Cultural Heritage was adopted in 2001. Right at that time, the AFCP came to Vietnam, helping the country implement the law through a project on preserving and repairing 100 antiques at Dau Pagoda in the northern province of Bac Ninh.

“We highly value the project as it reflects a strategic vision in US cultural diplomacy,” she said. “The project’s success has laid a foundation for the preservation of other relic sites.”

The AFCP provided funding of 1.2 million USD for the 16 projects, including five relics and two intangible cultural heritage elements, along with hundreds of objects and art works.

Ly said the US fund has brought about wonderful opportunities to save heritage elements which have degraded due to natural and human impact. The conservation efforts were all carried out following the latest science under the direct consultancy of experts in the field.

At the workshop reviewing cooperation between Vietnam and the US in preserving cultural heritage in the Southeast Asian nation in Hanoi on November 23. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding a project launched at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Dr. Nguyen Anh Minh, Director of the museum, said the fund had supported the preservation and repair of two seriously-damaged lacquer paintings made in 1939 and 1961.

The two works are now on display at the museum, Minh said, viewing the timely and pragmatic assistance as the vivid demonstration of the Vietnam-US cooperation in cultural heritage preservation.

In an interview granted to VietnamPlus, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Van Tru, Chairman of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, highlighted achievements recorded from initiatives and efforts of both sides in this regard.

He affirmed that the above-said projects mirror benefits from utilising technical and financial support in heritage preservation and management in Vietnam, especially for heritage elements in emergencies.

Expanding and enhancing international cooperation in this field is necessary in the present context, he continued.

Standing side by side with Vietnamese heritage

Then singing practices of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic people. (Photo: VNA)

AFCP Programme Director Martin Perschler said the US looks forward to cooperating with Vietnam in cultural preservation through the AFCP and other programmes and activities.

The work has been done in the spirit of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, he stressed.

Kate Bartlett, Cultural Attaché of the US Embassy in Hanoi, pledged that the fund will continue with its mission and facilitate the restoration and promotion of heritage values in Vietnam, regardless of whether they are of the State, an ethnic group or individual. The only criterion is that the conservation projects are feasible.

Kate Bartlett, Cultural Attaché of the US Embassy in Hanoi, speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

She committed to continuing the support to Vietnam in preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritages.

Vietnam possesses an array of intangible cultural heritages that have been recognized by UNESCO. They include Nha Nhac - Vietnamese court music, Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands, Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs, Ca Tru singing, Giong festivals of Phu Dong and Soc temples, Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho, Art of Don Ca Tai Tu music and song in southern Vietnam, Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh, Tugging rituals and games, Practices related to Vietnamese beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms, Xoan singing of Phu Tho province, the art of Bai Choi in central Vietnam, Then singing practices of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic people, the art of Xoe Thai dance./.