On the evening of July 31, a national ceremony was held in Hung Yen Province to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the birth of the renowned cultural figure Le Quy Don (1726-2026).

From July 25 to 27, the team of experts from the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network completed the revalidation programme for the UNESCO Global Geopark Dong Van Karst Plateau in Tuyen Quang Province.

The committee commended Viet Nam for fulfilling the commitments it has made since the citadel was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010, as well as for implementing recommendations from the committee and its advisory bodies. 

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van, who is also Chairman of the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO, led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the 11th Session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and promote the country’s heritage nomination dossiers and cooperation activities with UNESCO in Paris, France, from June 16 - 19.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has once again recognised Non Nuoc Cao Bang of Viet Nam as a global geopark, reaffirming its status following a revalidation process.

Viet Nam supports the vision and approach of “UNESCO for the people,” placing people at the centre of the organisation, with all policies and programmes meeting the practical needs of the public, especially vulnerable groups, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van, Chairman of the Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO, has said.

Hai Phong City aims to build itself into one of the country’s leading centres for education and training; in the immediate term, by 2026, it seeks to meet the conditions for recognition as a provincial-level “Learning Community” and to join UNESCO’s Global Network of Learning Cities in 2027.

Since 2000, the number of students worldwide has increased by 327 million, reaching 1.4 billion in 2024. On average, more than 25 additional children have been able to attend school every minute.

In November 2025, at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Uzbekistan, member states agreed to adopt a draft resolution initiated by Viet Nam on launching an “International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development,” co-sponsored and supported by 71 countries.

The Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee, and Fatherland Front Committee of Ninh Binh Province held a ceremony on February 28 to announce the Prime Minister’s decision and receive the certificate recognising the Tam Chuc scenic and archaeological complex as a Special National Relic.

It is no coincidence that Viet Nam had as many as four names honored by UNESCO as World Heritage in 2025 alone. It is no coincidence that the S-shaped strip of land was named by the World Travel Awards 2025 for the sixth time as the “World’s Leading Heritage Destination” and for the third time retained the title of “Asia’s Leading Heritage Destination.”

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh called for enhanced capacity building, experience sharing, stronger international cooperation and effective implementation of the recommendations related to Article 16 on preferential treatment for developing countries.

A “zero-fee” policy has been applied as a gesture of gratitude to the community and to help stimulate tourism after the Yen Tu Complex of Monuments and Landscapes was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Under the policy, visitors will be exempt from entrance fees for three years, from 2026 to the end of 2028.

The Vietnamese Embassy in France has hosted a ceremony marking the 96th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Viet Nam (CPV) (February 3, 1930–2026) and celebrating the success of the 14th National Party Congress, a landmark event shaping new strategic directions for the country’s development in the new era.

UNESCO highly welcomes the vision reflected in the Politburo’s Resolution 80-NQ/TW, stated UNESCO Representative to Viet Nam Jonathan Wallace Baker, stressing that by positioning culture as a core resource and a pillar for development, Viet Nam is clearly placing people, values, and identity at the heart of its long-term national strategy.

In the Government’s strategy for developing cultural industries, heritage is viewed not only as an object of preservation but also as a resource for growth. For the heritage city of Hue, the key challenge lies in how to enable heritage to step beyond exhibition spaces and participate directly in the creative value chain and the urban economy.

The People’s Committee of Ninh Binh Province organised an international scientific conference titled “Defining the proposed boundaries of the nomination area and identifying criteria for Outstanding Universal Value in line with the orientation for preparing the dossier for UNESCO recognition of the Tam Chuc Complex and the Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve as a World Heritage Site”, on January 14.

According to information from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Government Office has issued a document to the minister as well as the chairpersons of the People’s Committees of Ha Noi, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, and Hai Phong, conveying the directive of Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh on the preparation of scientific dossiers for “Pho” (Vietnamese noodle soup) and “Water Puppetry” to be proposed for inscription on UNESCO’s Lists.

From the age of six, Nguyen Thi Them accompanied her mother to singing sessions, so quan ho singing has become an indispensable part of the life of this artisan who was born in Bac Ninh Province in 1959. She is regarded as a nucleus in preserving and safeguarding many ancient and complex quan ho melodies and has successfully passed them on to successive younger generations.

On December 9, 2025, in India, the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO adopted a decision inscribing Dong Ho folk painting craft on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.