The event saw the participation of Hulan Ganbaatar, Mongolian Ambassador to Viet Nam; representatives of diplomatic missions from member countries of the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP); leaders of the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO; as well as domestic and international managers, experts and scientists.
At the event, domestic and international experts and scientists focussed their discussions on the value of the Non Nuoc Mountain cliff inscription system, praising it as an invaluable “stone chronicle”, a treasure containing the historical soul, political thought, literary spirit and communal memory of Vietnamese people’s ancestors over many centuries.
According to them, the collection of cliffside stone steles (known as ma nhai in Vietnamese) on Non Nuoc Mountain is a vivid testament to the strategic position of Ninh Bình land through the Dinh, Le, Ly, Tran, Later Le and Nguyen dynasties. This is a unique outdoor calligraphy museum, expressing the talent and refined aesthetics of our forebears, creating a perfect blend of nature’s creation and human wisdom.
This shows that the inscriptions are not only the property of Ninh Binh alone, but a national heritage of international scope that needs to be particularly honoured and protected.
The participants also provided opinions assessing the risks, challenges, and management and conservation of the inscription system.
Addressing the event, MOWCAP Vice-Chair Dr Vu Thi Minh Huong said that the symposium provided an important opportunity to study the outstanding values of the Ma Nhai Inscriptions on Non Nuoc Mountain, while promoting academic exchange, strengthening international dialogue and perfecting the preparation of UNESCO nomination dossiers.
The event also helped to promote the values of the Non Nuoc Mountain cliff inscription documentary heritage to a wide range of scholars, experts and the community.
For his part, Dang Thanh Son, Vice-Chairperson of the Ninh Binh Provincial People’s Committee, affirmed that the delegates’ contributions provided an important basis to help the province build a strategy for sustainable and effective conservation and promotion of documentary heritage values.
