On 8th May 2024, at the 10th General Meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, “Bas-reliefs on the Nine Bronze Urns in Hue Imperial Palace” of Vietnam was officially registered in UNESCO's List of Asia-Pacific Documentary Heritage.

   Attending this session was held in 02 online and in-person formats, including 131 delegates from 23/46 member countries representing the Asia-Pacific region. The Vietnamese delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam National Committee for UNESCO, the Vietnam National Committee of the Memory of the World Program and Thua Thien Hue province.

   The Nine Dynastic Urns – Hue Imperial Citadel were ordered to be cast by Emperor Minh Mang in 1835 and completed in 1837, placed in front of The To Temple courtyard since its inception to the present day. Emperor Minh Mang ordered the casting of the Nine Dynastic Urns to signify the everlasting of the dynasty, the richness, and the territorial integrity of Vietnam. The exquisite bronze casting skills of Vietnamese artisans, with 162 carved patterns depicting various themes on the Nine Dynastic Urns, along with many deeply hidden values, have elevated the Nine Dynastic Urns beyond the stature of a national treasure.

   This is a unique and rare source of documentation that Vietnamese and foreign researchers are highly interested in due to its content value regarding history, culture, education, geography, feng shui, medicine, calligraphy.

   The bronze castings on the Nine Dynastic Urns have preserved the values of the intercultural exchanges and interactions of Vietnamese society with other countries in East Asia. Alongside the ups and downs of a dynasty, after nearly 200 years, despite enduring the upheavals of the times, the Nine Dynastic Urns remain intact. These rare treasures symbolize the sovereignty and existence of feudal dynasties in East Asian countries.

With exemplary and unique values in form, content, and particularly in the intercultural exchanges and interactions of Vietnamese society with other countries in East Asia, at the 10th General Assembly, the UNESCO Memory of the World Committee for Asia-Pacific, the dossier "The Nine Dynastic Urns - Hue Imperial Citadel" was inscribed on the Memory of the World Register with 23 out of 23 participating countries voting in favor.

   The Nine Dynastic Urns – Hue Imperial Citadel are honored as the pride of Vietnam in general and of Thua Thien Hue province in particular, thereby enhancing the brand of Hue's heritage, one destination with eight UNESCO heritage sites.

   The fact that "The Bas-reliefs on the Nine Bronze Urns in Hue Imperial Palace" was registered as an Asia-Pacific Regional Documentary Heritage has increased the total number of Vietnam's documentary heritage registered by UNESCO to 10 heritage properties (including 3 world documentary heritage properties and 7 Asia-Pacific documentary heritage properties). 

   These are solid concrete evidence for the proposals of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries and branches approved by the Government and submitted to the National Assembly to allow the expansion of the scope of regulation of the Law of cultural heritage to add a new type of documentary heritage, creating a legal corridor for the management, protection and promotion of the value of Vietnam's cultural heritage, expected to be discussed by the 15th National Assembly at the 7th session, and pass it at the 8th session, 2024.

   This is also one of the activities that clearly demonstrates the role and responsibility of Vietnam - an active member of UNESCO in efforts to force to codify international treaties and programs on cultural heritage to which Vietnam is a member.