Prospect of ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage
(QNO) - The Workshop on the Prospect of Ratification of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage has recently taken place in Hanoi.
It came about as a consequence of cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the UNESCO Office in Vietnam.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Vietnam currently has an inventory of more than 40 thousand relics, including 8 UNESCO world heritage sites, 130 special national relics, 3628 national relics, and over 11 thousand provincial relics.
Among them were many relics and archaeological sites related to underwater cultural heritage that have been ranked at all levels, such as Hoi An Ancient Town, Van Don Trading Port, Bach Dang stake yard, Cao Quy stake yard, and archaeological relics in the water of the Cham Islands.
Besides, there are a lot of ancient shipwrecks that have been discovered and excavated in the waters of the Cham Islands (Quang Nam), Hon Cau (Ba Ria-Vung Tau), Hon Dam (Kien Giang), etc.
The Workshop on the Prospect of Ratification of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage aimed to concretize the content of cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO for the period of 2021 - 2025.
It established a scientific forum for leaders, politicians, professionals, and scientists to exchange ideas and explore the role of underwater cultural treasures and Vietnam's path to joining the 2001 UNESCO Convention.
According to the Hoi An Management Centre for Cultural Heritage Conservation, collecting, preserving, and promoting the values of underwater cultural heritage has been of interest to Hoi An for years.
Many artefact collections are shown, and their values are promoted in Hoi An's specialty museums, such as the Hoi An Historical and Cultural Museum and the Trade Ceramics Museum.
In 2022, the centre set up a thematic gallery, Chu Dau Pottery: Antiquities from the Seabed Around Cham Islands, to introduce the unique values of Chu Dau ceramics to the public, thereby creating more highlights and attractions for the museums.