Documentary Heritage in Hội An – Initial Results in Preservation and Promotion
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Hội An Ancient Town, a World Cultural Heritage city, not only possesses a rich system of tangible heritage including historical and architectural monuments of diverse types, and a wide range of unique intangible cultural heritage, but also holds a vast and diverse body of documentary heritage.
This body reflects characteristics closely tied to the geographical, natural, economic, political, and historical-cultural conditions of Hội An, once one of the most bustling international trading ports in the region during the pre-modern period, marked by strong East–West cultural exchange and acculturation.
Based on initial surveys and identification efforts, Hội An’s documentary heritage can be provisionally classified into several groups:
Based on initial surveys and identification efforts, Hội An’s documentary heritage can be provisionally classified into several groups:
- Handwritten and inscribed records of past generations found on architectural monuments, communal religious structures, houses, clan ancestral halls, etc., expressed in various materials such as wood, stone, ceramics, and lime mortar, in forms such as horizontal lacquered boards, parallel sentences, and carved panels.
- A system of inscriptions on religious monuments and ancient tomb steles across the city, notable for their diversity in chronology, ownership, and origins of the populations of the former trading port.
- Hán Nôm textual materials related to Hội An, including royal decrees, administrative records, cadastral registers, contracts, land declarations, population registers, ritual registers, genealogies, private archives, literary works, and other documents associated with lineages and families.
- French-language and other foreign-language documents concerning Hội An’s history and culture, including records on socio-economic, political, and military aspects from the 16th century onward, created and transmitted by various domestic and international actors.
- Systems of old charts and maps related to Hội An as a trading port through different historical periods, documenting maritime routes, defensive structures, place names, territorial boundaries, and topography.
- Collections of historical photographs of Hội An taken by various photographers, depicting people, landscapes, monuments, and everyday life from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century.
- Woodblock collections associated with Buddhism of the Lâm Tế Chúc Thánh lineage in Hội An, preserved in pagodas and private households.
Hoi An nights
These documentary heritage components play a crucial role in researching the history and culture of Vietnam in general, and of Hội An and Quảng Nam in particular, especially prior to the mid-20th century. They serve as valuable historical and ethnographic sources, providing reliable data that help clarify issues related to history, cultural life, and socio-economic and political conditions across different periods. They also constitute important scientific data in the form of images, written records, maps, and descriptive diagrams, which significantly support the restoration of customs, beliefs, traditional cultural practices, and the conservation and restoration of monuments, including the reconstruction of lost or deteriorated structural elements.
Recognizing the value of these documentary heritage systems, immediately after the successful national seminar on Hội An Ancient Town in 1985, efforts to collect documentary heritage began receiving attention from cultural agencies. From February 1986, when the Hội An Monuments Management and Tourism Service Board (now the Hội An Center for the Conservation of World Cultural Heritage) was established, these efforts were implemented more systematically. During this period, many historical photographs related to cultural history and revolutionary history, as well as some Hán Nôm materials, were initially collected. These efforts laid the foundation for establishing the Hội An Revolutionary Tradition House in 1987 and the Hội An History and Culture Exhibition Hall in 1989.
Following the international seminar on Hội An Ancient Town in July 1990, research, survey, and collection of Hán Nôm materials were expanded through programs such as: surveys to establish a documentary archive for Hội An Ancient Town (1993–1994); collection of materials on Minh Hương commune for research on its role from the 17th to 19th centuries; and, from September 1995, six rounds of textual surveys in the old town conducted in collaboration with Showa Women’s University (Japan). The Center also organized surveys, collection, and translation of materials related to the Thanh Châu bird’s nest industry, commercial signboards and trade activities in Hội An, and conducted rubbings of inscriptions and woodblocks at ancient temples. These efforts resulted in the collection and reproduction of over 2,000 pages of original materials, more than 4,500 pages of copies, 300 inscription rubbings, 800 woodblock prints, and 63 royal decrees.
Since 2016, in addition to collecting materials from families, lineages, and monuments within Hội An, efforts have expanded to surrounding areas, while also establishing connections with national archival centers under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Institute of Hán Nôm Studies, and the Institute of Social Sciences Information under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. Through these collaborations, tens of thousands of pages of materials have been extracted, copied, and transferred, including cadastral records, Nguyễn dynasty administrative documents, deity records, and other historical writings.
Alongside Hán Nôm materials, campaigns to collect and donate historical photographs of Hội An, including images related to wartime history, landscapes, and daily life, have achieved encouraging results. Initial processes of copying, processing, and preservation have been implemented, with many materials digitized for long-term storage and research use.
In parallel with collection and preservation, research and promotion activities have been strongly emphasized by the Center. Numerous textual, visual, cartographic, and diagrammatic materials have been studied and published in academic journals, research projects, and books produced by the institution.
Over the past decade, translation, compilation, and publication efforts have been intensified. Since 2014, based on processed materials, the Center has selected, translated, compiled, and published dozens of thematic publications serving both researchers and the public. These works have contributed to addressing gaps in knowledge about Hội An’s history and culture, further reinforcing the outstanding universal values of Hội An Ancient Town as a World Cultural Heritage site.
In addition, documentary heritage has been effectively promoted through permanent exhibitions at Hội An museums such as the Museum of History and Culture, the Trade Ceramics Museum, the Museum of Folk Culture, and the Traditional Medicine Museum; as well as at heritage sites managed by the Center, including communal houses, Đức An House (memorial house of comrade Cao Hồng Lãnh), and Hội An Prison. Thematic exhibitions, both onsite and online, have attracted large audiences, contributing significantly to enhancing the visibility and value of Hội An as a heritage destination for both domestic and international visitors.
It can be affirmed that the research, collection, preservation, and promotion of documentary heritage in Hội An, especially Hán Nôm materials, have achieved important initial results, highlighting the richness of the city’s cultural heritage system. However, due to their inherently fragile nature and vulnerability to time, environment, natural disasters, fire, pests, and loss, as well as issues related to diverse ownership and varying preservation methods, challenges remain in inventorying, management, conservation, and promotion. In reality, some horizontal boards, parallel sentences, inscriptions, woodblocks, royal decrees, and other Hán Nôm materials held in communities and private households are not adequately preserved, leading to irreversible damage in many cases. There are also instances of materials being lost beyond the boundaries of Hội An.
Therefore, in the coming period, alongside the preservation and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, it is necessary to implement comprehensive measures to safeguard and promote documentary heritage sustainably. Strengthening public awareness, particularly among heritage owners, management agencies, and local authorities, is essential so that they fully understand the types and values of documentary heritage, thereby contributing actively to its protection and transmission to future generations.