10 cultural heritage properties established as public properties in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

On November 23, 2024, the National Assembly passed the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law.

10 cultural heritage properties established as public properties in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

The cultural heritage of Vietnam is a valuable asset of the community of Vietnamese ethnic groups, being a part of the cultural heritage of humanity, and plays a significant role in the nation-building and defense work of the People. The State represents ownership and uniformly manages cultural heritage classified as public property; recognizes and protects cultural heritage in the form of private and common property in accordance with the Constitution, the provisions of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law, and other relevant legal provisions.

Among them, the cultural heritages established as public property from July 1, 2025, include:

- Historical - cultural relics, scenic spots, documentary heritage, and artifacts belonging to relics; artifacts, relics, national treasures, and documentary heritage belonging to state agencies, political organizations, socio-political organizations, public service providers, and those not provided for in clauses 3 and 4 of Article 4 of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law;

- Artifacts, documentary heritage belonging to public museums;

- Cultural heritage in inland soil and underwater within the land, islands, inland waters, and seas of Vietnam;

- Underwater cultural heritage of Vietnamese origin located outside the inland waters and seas of Vietnam established as public property per the provisions of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law, other relevant legal provisions, and international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory;

- Cultural heritage collected by public agencies, organizations, units as per the methods specified in clause 1, Article 42 and clause 2, Article 58 of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law;

- Relics, antiques, national treasures collected, stored, preserved, and promoted by public museums;

- Ownerless property, unidentifiable ownership property established as public property in accordance with the Civil Code when identified as cultural heritage;

- Property being cultural heritage voluntarily transferred to the State by the owner; with no heir and cultural heritage property belonging to the State per the Civil Code and legal regulations on public asset management and use;

- Intangible cultural heritage with unidentified creator and owner or created, practiced, transmitted, held, and inherited by the community, groups, or individuals with ownership transferred to the State;

- Other cases as prescribed by law.

(Clauses 1, 2 of Article 4 of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law)

Principles of management, protection, and promotion of cultural heritage value in Vietnam from July 1, 2025

From July 1, 2025, the management, protection, and promotion of cultural heritage value must comply with the principles stipulated in Article 6 of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law. To be specific:

- All cultural heritage in the territory of Vietnam, originating domestically or from abroad, in all forms of ownership, shall be managed, protected, and their values promoted under the provisions of the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law and other relevant laws.

- Management, protection, and promotion of cultural heritage value is the right, responsibility, and duty of all agencies, organizations, communities, and individuals.

- Vietnamese cultural heritage abroad shall be protected under international law and per the international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member.

- Ensure the national and ethnic interests are harmonized with the legal rights and interests of organizations, communities, and individuals; respect cultural diversity, dialogue among communities, and the specific characteristics of ethnicities, regions, and areas.

- Prioritize protecting and promoting the value of cultural heritage at risk of diminishing, being lost, historical-cultural relics, scenic spots, cultural heritage of ethnic minority communities, mountainous regions, border areas, islands, and minority ethnic groups with very few people, and heritage with community and social value.

- Ensure preserving the maximum original elements constituting relics and the original value of documentary heritage; the inherent value and expression forms of intangible cultural heritage.

- Respect the rights of intangible cultural heritage holders and artisans in deciding on the elements to be protected and the forms and levels at which the cultural heritage should be promoted; identify risks, impacts that threaten existence, and choose solutions to protect cultural heritage.

- Integrate protection and promotion of cultural heritage value into national, regional, local economic-social development strategies, plans.

More details can be found in the 2024 Cultural Heritage Law, effective from July 1, 2025.

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