Viet Nam News
BAC NINH — Various aspects of culture and art under the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) and the importance of preserving its vestiges were discussed at two-day international conference last week.
The conference, held in the northern province of Bac Ninh, the heart of the dynasty, attracted about forty Vietnamese and international scholars, scientists and archaeologists.
It was jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam Institute of Culture, Arts Studies, and University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
“The Ly Dynasty, lasting for more than 200 years, is an important period in Viet Nam history and the topic of culture and arts under this dynasty has received great attention and interest of both Vietnamese and international scholars from different perspectives,” said deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Thi Bich Lien.
The two-day conference was a forum for scholars to discuss the development of culture and art under the Ly Dynasty, and also share experiences in preserving historical relics.
Scholars have compared art under the Ly Dynasty with that of contemporaries in China, Japan and the Champa Kingdom, Lien noted.
Vice Chairman of Bac Ninh People’s Committee, Nguyen Van Phong, said the province was proud to be the hometown of the Ly Dynasty, which had helped preserve and develop Viet Nam’s culture, art and religion, and ensured a peaceful life for its people.
Bac Ninh has 131 relics related to Ly Dynasty, many of them Buddhism pagodas and towers.
Over the last several years, Bac Ninh has implemented practical policies and mechanisms to preserve and tap the value of these relics, Phong said.
The conference is among a series of events being held to celebrate the 185th anniversary of establishment and 20th anniversary of re-establishment of Bac Ninh.
Phong said the active contributions of scholars at the conference, including papers presented, would contribute to the further studies on the Ly Dynasty’s culture and arts, and orient preservation work on the relics.
The conference covered four main topics: approaches to Ly Dynasty culture and art studies; new discoveries and studies on arts, culture and architecture of Ly Dynasty in Bac Ninh; art in the context of Buddhism under the Ly Dynasty; and the preservation of historic and cultural relics in the province.
Bac Ninh is a province that neighbours Ha Noi. Its Dinh Bang Village is known as hometown of dynasty founder King Ly Thai To.
The province is also well-known for many Buddhist pagodas as Buddhism prospered under the dynasty. The Phat Tich Pagoda, Dam Pagoda and Do Temple are some of the prominent ones. — VNS