Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Audrey Azoulay delivers speech at the event.

Azoulay made the comment while delivering her speech at a ceremony held in the northern province of Ninh Binh on September 6 to celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

The event, which was co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), the provincial People's Committee, and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, saw the attendance of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, among others.

Azoulay noted that in the past five years alone, UNESCO has given support to Vietnam's priority in completing its legal framework on heritage as well as inventory of intangible heritages.

She pointed out that Vietnam's cultural heritages have been honored in recent years, and this is a testament to the importance that both UNESCO and Vietnam recognise in promoting their value.

Acknowledging the significance of the convention and highlighting Vietnam's related responsible and active implementation, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung informed participants that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's world heritage sites served over 19 million visitors in 2019, with related tourism services reeling in 1.8 trillion VND (76.43 million USD).

This is a lively proof of the promotion of the value of heritage, affirming the contributions of world heritages to Vietnam's socio-economic growth, improving livelihoods for local communities, protecting the environment, and consolidating peace and security towards sustainable development for Vietnam and the world, he stressed.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO Ha Kim Ngoc said during 35 years of Vietnam's participation in the convention, the commission has made tremendous efforts to promote capacity building, international cooperation and education for heritage preservation.

Desiring to make more contributions, Vietnam is running for a seat in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 term and hopes to receive support from other member states of the convention, Ngoc said.

The convention, adopted by UNESCO at its 17th session in Paris on November 16, 1972, is the only combining cultural and natural heritage protection. As many as 194 states have become members of this convention.

Since Vietnam ratified the deal on October 19, 1987, it has had eight cultural, natural, and mixed heritages inscribed in the world heritage list. The sites have greatly contributed to local socio-economic development and helped popularise the country's images to international friends.

According to the MCST, UNESCO has encouraged member states to mark the convention's 50th anniversary ahead of the global celebration in Florence, Italy, this November.