Hanoi completes the dossier submitted to UNESCO to honor the famous To Hien Thanh

To Hien Thanh is one of the typical figures of the Ly Dynasty, known for his ability to govern the country, his mindset of protecting national sovereignty, and his spirit of upholding the law.

His name is also associated with outstanding qualities in public service ethics such as integrity, integrity and the spirit of putting the interests of the country and the people above personal interests.

Towards the 850th anniversary of the death of famous To Hien Thanh (1179 – 2029), Hanoi city is implementing a roadmap to build a dossier to submit to UNESCO to commemorate and honor him. Aiming for recognition by UNESCO not only aims to honor To Hien Thanh’s contributions in history but also contributes to systematizing scientific and legal arguments about the ideological heritage and values ​​he left behind. Through that, the lessons of responsibility, integrity, spirit of service and public service ethics have more opportunities to be widely introduced, serving traditional education for today’s generations. This is also considered one of the activities that contributes to fostering the elegant and civilized beauty of Hanoi people, while bringing the typical values ​​of the history of Thang Long – Hanoi closer to the domestic and international public. From a cultural diplomacy perspective, profile building also opens up opportunities to introduce historical and cultural heritage associated with the Ly Dynasty, thereby promoting the image of a Hanoi rich in tradition, hospitality and dynamism. In order for the application to meet UNESCO’s criteria, an in-depth research process is being implemented with many synchronized contents. The city has established a specialized Steering Committee and Editorial Team, and organized field surveys in Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa. The surveys focused on collecting information on the current status of relics, artifacts and Han Nom sources related to the famous To Hien Thanh. The collected data continues to be synthesized, analyzed and compared through scientific seminars and discussions as well as activities to collect opinions from the community in localities that are preserving heritage. This process is to ensure that the profile has a complete scientific basis, reflects many perspectives and minimizes shortcomings in the content development process. The dossier set is expected to be made bilingual in Vietnamese and English according to UNESCO’s instructions. Accompanying the main profile is a system of scientific documentaries with a duration of 5 to 60 minutes, photo albums of original documents and copyright photos with bilingual captions, conference proceedings, books, leaflets and electronic information pages serving introduction and promotion. In addition to the bibliographic system and field survey reports, the file also compiles letters of support from scientists and international organizations to add more evidence to show the influence of famous person To Hien Thanh. The profile building roadmap is divided into many stages with specific timelines. In 2026, the contents include applying for policies, establishing a specialized apparatus, surveying documents, building celebrity profiles, making films, photos, documents, publications, compiling bilingual documents and organizing appraisal at the grassroots level, expected to be completed in mid-October. After that, the profile will continue to go through the appraisal process at the specialized level and get opinions from the National Cultural Heritage Council. On that basis, the dossier will be submitted to the Prime Minister for consideration, before being officially sent to UNESCO before December 1, 2026. From the end of 2026 to early 2027, relevant units will continue to edit and supplement documents according to professional requirements. In parallel with technical work, cultural diplomacy, exhibitions and international advocacy activities are also implemented, and the process of reviewing documents at UNESCO meetings is also monitored. After the official resolution, activities to promote heritage values ​​are expected to be implemented in 2028. These programs will be a preparation step for the ceremony to honor and celebrate the 850th anniversary of the death of Famous To Hien Thanh in 2029. To ensure progress and quality of documents, coordination between many agencies and units is determined to be an important factor. The fields of culture, diplomacy, science, information and communication and local governments with relics, works or documents related to To Hien Thanh will participate according to their assigned functions. The construction of a dossier for submission to UNESCO therefore does not only stop at the goal of honoring a typical historical figure, but also aims to exploit and spread the ideological, moral values ​​and spirit of service of To Hien Thanh in contemporary life. Through this process, the cultural values ​​associated with famous people are expected to continue to contribute to traditional education, strengthen the sense of preserving heritage and fostering the elegant and civilized beauty of Hanoi people.