VĨNH LONG – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Deltaprovince of Vĩnh Long is calling on the community to join in the preservation of its heritage.

Phan Văn Giàu, director of the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that in the future, the department will continue educational activities to raise people’s awareness of the historical and cultural values of heritage relics in Vĩnh Long.

He added that the locality will cooperate with youth unions and relevant agencies to launch field trips for young people and students to learn about the country's history and the province.

Giàu said the work contributes to promoting the community’s responsibility and role in protecting and preserving the province’s cultural and historical heritage.

With nearly 300 years of establishment and development, Vĩnh Long has a rich heritage, reflecting the vibrant spiritual life of its people.

The province is home to 13 national relics and more than 650 other relics, including Văn Thánh Miếu (Temple of Literature) in Vĩnh Long City, one of the province’s most important relics.

The temple was built in 1866 to commemorate the country’s great educators and feudal mandarins, who made great contributions to building and developing the province.

It was recognised as a national historical relic in 1991.

The temple has four major ceremonies each year, held in the second, seventh, eighth and tenth months of the lunar calendar. All the ceremonies still preserve the original rituals from the Nguyễn Dynasty.

The ceremonies were recognised as national intangible heritage in April.

Nguyễn Xuân Hoanh, the department’s deputy director, said the recognition reflects the province and people’s efforts in preserving and promoting the value of the Temple of Literature and its ceremonies.

Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn, deputy secretary of the province’s Youth Communist Union, said in past years, the union has worked with the education sector and local authorities to organise field trips to the relics and talks about local history and culture.

Tuấn said the relics not only preserve artefacts and stories of the ancestors, but also educate different generations about the history and culture of the province and culture.  

He added the union encourages local schools to launch at least one field trip during a school year to help students learn more about the value of historical relics, contributing to increasing their responsibility in the preservation and promotion of the historical and cultural traditions of the nation. — VNS