Support regime to enhance the responsibility of relic caretakers in Nghe An

Ram Temple National Monument (Chau Nhan Commune, Hung Nguyen District). Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Mr. Pham Van Luc - caretaker of Ram Temple National Monument (Chau Nhan commune, Hung Nguyen district):"In addition to the caretaker and security guard regime, my biggest wish is that the relic will receive attention and restoration in the future."

Photo: Minh Quan

I was born in 1944, and after a period of working in the army, I retired and was appointed by the government and the people to look after Ram Temple for 7 years. Currently, our temple ritual committee has 5 people, all of whom are old, from nearly 70 to 90 years old. In general, we are very united, doing the common work of looking after, cleaning, taking care of the plants in the temple grounds, and guiding people to burn incense. We are all old, some have pensions, some do not, but perhaps thanks to looking after the relic, we have been blessed with good health to continue working. As for the regime, the 5 of us receive 2.4 million VND each year.

Recently, we heard that the superiors have a policy to increase the salary for those who take care of the relic, which is a good thing. But in addition to the salary for those who take care of and protect the relic, our biggest wish is that in the coming time, the State will pay attention to restoring the Ram Temple relic, because currently some items of the temple have seriously degraded after the floods in September and October, so that the temple can become a meaningful spiritual place for local people.

Mr. Le Hong Thai - caretaker of Dinh Trung National Monument (Hung Dung Ward, Vinh City): "No matter what the support policy is, I always try to fulfill my assigned tasks well, ensuring the safety and dignity of the monument."

Photo: Minh Quan

Trung Communal House belongs to the Red Village Relic Cluster, located in Van Trung Block, Hung Dung Ward, and I have been assigned by the Ward People's Committee to look after and protect this relic since 2012. I see that the Red Village Relic Cluster, including Trung Communal House, is a place of education for all generations of people inside and outside the ward. Regardless of the support regime, I always try my best to fulfill the assigned tasks, ensuring the safety and dignity of the relic.

Currently, after a period of degradation, the Trung Communal House is being restored and recently the Provincial People's Council has issued a Resolution regulating increased support for relic caretakers like us. I find this very exciting, demonstrating the province's concern for the historical and cultural relics of our province.

Ms. Tran Thi Kim Phuong - Head of the Monument Management Board of Nghe An province: "Currently, the payment regime for those who protect and look after monuments is quite low, so the binding of responsibility in the care and protection of monuments is still limited."

Photo: Dinh Tuyen

In Nghe An, there are currently 471 ranked relics. However, the current payment regime for relic guardians and caretakers is quite low, implemented according to Decision 5542 dated November 27, 2015 of the Provincial People's Committee. Specifically, those who care for national relics are paid 200,000 VND/relic per month; and those for provincial relics are paid 150,000 VND/month/relic. Therefore, the binding of responsibilities in the care and protection of relics is still limited. In some localities where relics have no source of income, the government has also paid attention to allocating budget to support relic guardians, but most localities have not paid attention to this issue and still depend on the support of the province.

Stemming from the desire to support, encourage, and at the same time enhance the responsibility of those who directly protect and look after the relics, the Provincial Relic Management Board has advised the Department of Culture and Sports to draft a resolution to submit to the Provincial People's Council for promulgation of a resolution stipulating a number of policies to support the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values ​​in Nghe An province, including policies to support caretakers at ranked relics. Accordingly, for relics ranked at a special national level, the support amount is 3 million VND/month/relic; for relics ranked at a national level, it is 3 million VND/month/relic; for relics ranked at a provincial level, it is 500,000 VND/month/relic. This support amount is not much, but it will also contribute to encouraging those who are currently working to protect and preserve the precious heritage values ​​of their ancestors.

Mr. Bui Cong Vinh - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports: "This is an important policy in encouraging and supporting relic caretakers - an important force in supporting heritage conservation"

Photo: Dinh Tuyen

In recent times, the work of preserving and promoting the value of historical and cultural relics in Nghe An province has been implemented quite effectively, in which the work of protecting and looking after relics has received attention from localities. However, the number of relics in the province is quite large, and the mechanisms and policies to support relic caretakers have encountered many difficulties in recent times.

Understanding that, the Department of Culture and Sports has advised all levels to submit to the Provincial People's Council to issue Resolution No. 28 dated December 9, 2022 stipulating a number of policies to support the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values ​​in Nghe An province, including policies to support caretakers at relics. It can be said that this is an important policy in motivating and supporting caretakers of relics - an important force in supporting heritage conservation.

On the side of the Department of Culture and Sports, we will advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue regulations on procedures and payment processes for relic caretakers according to the Resolution of the Provincial People's Council, to ensure that the resolution is implemented effectively and accurately at the grassroots level, ensuring fairness in localities.