Vietnam-France: strengthening decentralized cooperation in heritage conservation

As part of the Hanoi - Toulouse cooperation project, from November 13 to 17, 2023, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center organized a number of activities in the French city of Toulouse, including an exchange of views and an exhibition on the value of archaeological heritage.

As part of the Hanoi - Toulouse cooperation project, from November 13 to 17, 2023, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center organized a number of activities in the French city of Toulouse, including an exchange of views and an exhibition on the value of archaeological heritage.

A working mission from the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center, led by Nguyen Thanh Quang, the Center's Director, and its partners summarized and evaluated the results of their collaboration, proposed content for further cooperation and drew up a project for the future.ration, and drew up a project to mobilize financial sources from the Agence française de développement (AFD) and guide the work of enhancing the archaeological heritage of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi and Toulouse.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Thanh Quang emphasized: "For the city of Hanoi, the Hanoi-Toulouse cooperation project is one of the outstanding projects in the field of cultural heritage. The project helps to promote traditional cooperative relations between the two cities, and is a typical model of Vietnam-France decentralized cooperation. In the time to come, we hope that French friends will continue to support the work of preserving and promoting the heritage value of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, particularly in the fields of heritage tourism, staff training and the conservation of French architectural works in heritage sites.

The Hanoi-Toulouse cooperation project to provide technical support for the preservation and enhancement of the typical urban heritage and archaeological remains at the the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi, a world cultural heritage site, as part of AFD's FICOL development support program, has been effectively implemented since 2020. Project activities are running in parallel in both cities.

In April 2023, a series of activities took place at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long - Hanoi. In particular, online (in a pandemic context) and face-to-face training was effectively deployed at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel and in Toulouse by French experts for Vietnamese officials.

Expressing his satisfaction with the model for heritage cooperation between the two cities, Jean Claude Dardelet, deputy mayor of Toulouse, noted that the project had contributed to the exchange and sharing of experience between professionals in Vietnam and France. Although there were some difficulties at the outset due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff changes, both parties worked hard to overcome them and achieve great success. The project organized two scientific conferences and two exhibitions in Hanoi and Toulouse. The French side sent 11 experts to take part in the project.

As part of the business trip to France, the working mission of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center worked with UNESCO's specialized agencies and Vietnam's Permanent Delegation to UNESCO.

Source: fr.vietnamplus.vn