UNESCO has granted “world Image”
status to two types of ancient documents in Vietnam.
Since 1992 UNESCO has been
granting “world image” status to ancient documents that is deems invaluable to
human heritage. This program has been trying to find, preserve and catalog
valuable documents scattered throughout Vietnam, where time, warfare and other
social upheavals have taken their toll on important records
To date, UNESCO has designated
two types of documents in Vietnam as worthy of “World Image” status. On July 30th
2009 Status UNESCO conveyed “world image” status upon wood block prints from
the Nguyen dynasty. On March 9th 2009, “world Image” status was
granted to doctoral steles from the Le Ma dynasty (1442-1779). These steles are
found in Van Mieu Temple on Quoc Tu Giam Street in Hanoi.
Wooden Blocks from Nguyen Dynasty
were carved into wood and bear two scripts: Chinese characters and Confucian
Vietnamese script. They were used from the early 19th century until
the middle of the 20th century. The block were carved from tropical
hard woods that are resistant to damage by insects , time and the climate, the
contents of these wood block prints are very diverse, reflecting a great range
of activities during that era
The woodblock prints include
records of events, instructions, decrees and orders from them emperor as well
as books about topics like history law politics, education, the military
language art and romance. In the second year of his reign (1849) Emperor Tu Duc
order the construction of a library to store valuable document
The Nguyen Woodblocks comprise
34618 pieces. About 150 books were printed using these woodblocks including
important titles such as” The Law of the Vietnam Empire” the greatness of
Vietnamese rule unification” and Vietnam’s great regulations on editions.
Many woodblock prints relate to
topics that remain relevant today such as Vietnam’s sovereignty of Paracel and
Spratley (Hoang Sa) Islands. “The Great History of Vietnam” printed during the
Nguyen Hoang and Nguyen Phuc Than dynasties ( 1558-1777) outlines Vietnam’s
right to rule these islands, the islands ‘residents use of fresh water, and the
harvesting of valuable sea creatures like turtles and snails in these regions. Old
records show that the Nguyen Dynasty dispatched 70 Soldiers to Spratley
Islands. These troops were responsible for fishing and harvesting medical plants
for use by the imperial court
Today, original woodblocks and
documents made with woodblocks during the Nguyen Dynasty are preserved, along
with copies, un the former Le Xuan Village ( Now named the IV National )in Dalat.
This center is devoted to the preservation of Vietnam’s ancient woodblock
prints. At this center, visitors can see the great skill with which Nguyen-era
carvers produced these blocks.
Doctoral steles
The second type of records in
Vietnam to receive UNESCO “World Image” Classification is the doctoral steles
found in Hanoi ‘temple of literature is the nation’s oldest university. Eighty two stone steles stand in the temple’s
grounds and record the names of 82 students who passed the civil service
examinations of the Le Mac dynasty between 1442 and 1779. These steles give us
insight into the most talented and educated people of this era. Indeed, in 1442
King Le Thanh Tong wrote” Talented people are a nation power”
The inscriptions on the steles
provide valuable information about Vietnam traditional education system over a
period of 300 years. The inscriptions give us insight into the views and philosophy
of the Le-Mac dynasty in such areas as national construction and protection,
cultural preservation, pedagogy, and nurturing and using talented people. The
Chinese characters carved on the steles are evidence of the development of
Chinese script in Vietnam. Each stele is an individual work of art carved by
highly educated and cultured people.
We can be proud that two types of
ancient documents from Vietnam have received” World Image” classification from
UNESCO. These records add to our understanding of the history and development
of mankind. In the future, let us hope that more of Vietnam’s culture heritage
will be known, appreciated ad honored by the world.
This article is written by Lan
Nguyen, from Vietnam Heritage Travel. For original article and more information
about Vietnam Travel News, please visit
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