Door opens for Vietnamese documentary heritage

Dr Vu Thi Minh Huong, Vice President of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific and a member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, shared her insights with Thoi Nay Newspaper.

Reporter (RP): From your perspective as an archival science expert and a member of UNESCO committees at the national, regional, and international levels, what advice would you give to individuals and families wishing to nominate their personal collections as heritage dossiers?

Dr Vu Thi Minh Huong: What makes UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme unique is that individuals, families, and clans are all eligible to submit nominations for consideration. The core criterion of the programme is the value of the documentary heritage.

As Vice President of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific and one of 14 members of the International Advisory Committee, I have found that current submissions to UNESCO are highly diverse. They come not only from archives, libraries, and museums but also from individuals and families.

In Viet Nam, for example, the dossiers of the “Phuc Giang School Woodblocks” and the “The Envoy's Journey to China” (Hoang Hoa su trinh do) — both submitted by the Nguyen Huy family from Can Loc, Ha Tinh — have been inscribed as Documentary Heritage of the Asia-Pacific Region.

I believe that individuals, particularly artists, should be conscious of preserving manuscripts, documents, and works from the outset. Composer Hoang Van is a deeply commendable example; he carefully preserved everything, from scraps of paper and handwritten letters to fellow composer Nguyen Van Ty, to his own music teaching manuscripts. He was skilled in both calligraphy and sketching. All of these materials are part of his personal collection today.

After his passing in February 2018, his daughter, Dr Le Y Linh, began collecting, organising, and preserving these materials. This shows that beyond meeting UNESCO’s criteria, the dedication of the family and the artist themselves in preserving such records is also crucial. Without these documents, building a heritage dossier for an artist or ancestor would be impossible. Therefore, a sense of archival responsibility within each family is the foundation for long-term preservation and promotion of heritage.

RP: Reflecting on your advisory role and experience with the dossier of composer Hoang Van — which was recently inscribed— are there any notable approaches or lessons that other organisations could learn from?

Dr Vu Thi Minh Huong: The foremost criterion is the global significance of the dossier, not just in the case of one, but all 120 dossiers reviewed for this cycle. Any submission that does not clearly demonstrate this fundamental criterion will be returned for revision and further substantiation.

Thus, in our evaluations, we carefully consider this point. After passing the initial screening round, dossiers are further assessed based on other criteria such as gender balance, richness and diversity, and the completeness of the collection.

In practice, when the International Advisory Committee reviews a dossier, it does not delve deeply into the technical details of document arrangement or archival practices. For the Memory of the World Programme, the aim is to assess the overall value of the collection, not its archival procedure.

How the documents are stored is entirely at the discretion of the owners; they may be kept at home, on a bookshelf, in cardboard boxes, or deposited with an archival centre for preservation. However, storing the materials in a professional environment that meets preservation standards is certainly an advantage for any submission.

RP: Not only artist families but also institutions such as archives, libraries, and museums — with robust collections and a sound approach — can participate in submitting nominations. Could you elaborate on the most crucial aspect of building a successful dossier?

Dr Vu Thi Minh Huong: At present, many families of musicians and artists have expressed a desire to submit dossiers to UNESCO. However, I would like to emphasise that works praising the nation or its leaders — though highly meaningful within Viet Nam — must clearly demonstrate their value to the international community in order to qualify for consideration.

Elements such as historical significance and cross-border influence are the keys. For collections intended for future nomination, I advise families, organisations, or institutions to conduct a thorough preliminary evaluation.

If a dossier fails to meet the core criteria, it is important to reconsider before submitting to the National Cultural Heritage Council or consulting with experts. One should not rush the process based solely on the quantity of items or their personal sentiment, as UNESCO’s criteria are explicit and aimed at assessing the international relevance of a collection.

RP: Thank you very much for your time and insightful sharing!

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