AUTHENTIC: Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm (right) and UNESCO World Heritage Centre Director Lazare Eloundou Assomo (left) view an exhibition on the reconstruction of Kính Thiên Palace. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

Participants in the Asia-Pacific Dialogue on Heritage and Authenticity visited several of Hà Nội’s prominent cultural and heritage sites, including Văn Miếu–Quốc Tử Giám, Ngọc Sơn Temple and the Old Quarter, as part of the event held from September 27 to October 1.

MUCH TO LEARN: Delegates visit Mã Mây Ancient House at 87 Mã Mây Street. — VNA/VNS Photo Khánh Hoà

The tour offered international and regional experts an opportunity to explore the capital’s distinctive historical and cultural values.

A TASTE OF AUTUMN: Visitors sample 'cốm' (young green rice), a seasonal speciality associated with autumn.

The dialogue is co-organised by the Việt Nam National Commission for UNESCO, the Hà Nội People’s Committee and the Ninh Bình People’s Committee.

PHOTO-OP: Delegates to the Asia-Pacific Dialogue on Heritage and Authenticity visit the Temple of Literature and Imperial Academy.

During the event, the UNESCO Office in Việt Nam and the Việt Nam National Commission for UNESCO unveiled a commemorative graphic marking 50 years of Việt Nam’s membership of UNESCO, highlighting five decades of cooperation in education, culture, science, communication and information. — VNS

RECOGNISED: A delegate films the stone steles at the Temple of Literature and Imperial Academy. The 82 doctoral stone steles were recognised by UNESCO as documentary heritage in 2011.

FAMOUS: A preserved specimen of a giant turtle at Ngọc Sơn Temple. The turtle is linked to the mythical creature in the legend of the Returned Sword associated with Sword Lake.

ICONIC: Delegates listen to an introduction to the historical and cultural values of the Temple of Literature and Imperial Academy.

HERITAGE SITE: Mã Mây Ancient House is one of only 14 surviving 19th-century merchant houses in Hà Nội’s Old Quarter and one of the most accessible for visitors.