PANO - Bac Giang province on March 20th held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Yen Dung district as a Special National Relic. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the event.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc handing over the certificate to the province's leader. Source: nhandan.com.vn

Addressing the ceremony, Phuc asked Bac Giang province to develop a plan to preserve and promote the values of the newly-recognized site as well as complete a dossier to submit to the UNESCO for its recognition as a world heritage site. Additionally, the province was requested to promote dissemination on the historical and cultural values and the architectural beauty of the relic to turn it into a tourist attraction of the province in particular and the nation in general.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was built under the Ly Dynasty with different names, such as Chuc Thanh, La, or Duc La, and was developed into one of four training centres for Truc Lam Zen followers in the Tran Dynasty. In 1964, Vinh Nghiem was recognized as a National Relic and the collection of wood blocks of the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was recognized as a World Documentary Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region by UNESCO in 2012. A year later, Vinh Nghiem festival was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

For its irreplaceable values, on December 23rd, 2015, the Prime Minister signed a decision to grant the pagoda the title of Special National Relic.

Arts performances during the ceremony recaptured the life of King Tran Nhan Tong as well as the construction and development of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.

Translated by Son Ca