Lam Son Cultural and Historical Site
| Alternative site name(s) Lam Kinh Province(s) Thanh Hoa Area 300 ha Coordinates 19°55' - 19°56'N, 105°24' - 105°25'E Agro-ecological zone North Central Coast Decreed by government Yes Management board established Yes |
Investment plan prepared Yes VCF eligibility criteria met C Social screening criteria met None Conservation needs assessment prepared No Operational management plan prepared No Tracking tool completed No Yes |
Management history
Lam Son Cultural and Historical Site lies within Tho Xuan and Ngoc Lac districts, Thanh Hoa province. The cultural and historical site was included on Decision No. 194/CT of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, dated 9 August 1986, which gave the area as 300 ha (MARD 1997).
An investment plan, written in 1994, gave the area of the cultural and historical site as 141 ha, comprising a strict protection area of 41 ha, a forest rehabilitation area of 98 ha and an administration and services area of 2 ha. The establishment of a management board for Lam Son Cultural and Historical Site was approved on 22 October 1994, by Decision No. 609/TTg of the Prime Minister (Trinh Dinh Duong, Vice-director of Lam Son Cultural and Historical Site in litt. 2003). Subsequently, a management board was established on 6 December 1994, following Decision No. 1588 of Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee (Thanh Hoa Provincial FPD in litt. 2000). An investment plan for the site was prepared in 1999. Currently the cultural and historical site has 25 members of staff, based at a single guard station (Trinh Dinh Duong, Vice-director of Lam Son Cultural and Historical Site in litt. 2003).
Wege et al. (1999) recommended that, on the basis that the site supports little or no natural forest, Lam Son should be removed from the national protected areas system and placed under the management of the Ministry of Culture and Information. However, the site is included on a list of Special-use Forests to be established by the year 2010, prepared by the FPD of MARD, as a 300 ha cultural and historical site (FPD 2003); this list has not yet been approved by the government.
Topography and hydrology
Lam Son is situated in a low-lying area in central Thanh Hoa province. The site is drained by the Chu river, which flows east to meet the sea just north of Thanh Hoa city.
Biodiversity values
Lam Son is principally a site of cultural rather than biological importance. There is no information available about the biodiversity values of the site.
Conservation issues
The main conservation issue at Lam Son is the preservation of its cultural artefacts, including buildings and statues. The site is around 600 years old, and its restoration is now considered a priority. Between 1995 and 2005, a project of the Ministry of Culture and Information is aiming to restore the royal tombs and other historical artefacts at Lam Son (Pham Duc Duy verbally 2000).
Other documented values
Lam Son is a site of considerable cultural and historical importance. The site contains several palaces, temples and tombs dating back to the 15th Century. The site was originally built by the Vietnamese king Le Thai To (also known as Le Loi) after he defeated the Minh invaders. The site served as his fall-back capital in case Thang Long (Hanoi) was invaded again. The tomb of Le Loi and various status and steles dedicated to this national hero can be found at Lam Son. The site also contains the tombs of other kings and queens of the Le dynasty dating from the 15th Century (Le Thanh Nhan 1999).
Related projects
Provincial funding of approximately VND 96 million has been allocated for tree planting at the site (Pham Duc Duy verbally 2000).
Conservation needs assessment
A conservation needs assessment has not been conducted for the site.
Operational management plan
An operational management plan has not been prepared for the site.
Eligibility against VCF criteria
The site is ineligible for VCF support because it does not meet the criteria for supporting forest biodiversity of international importance. In addition, the site is a cultural and historical site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| AI |
|
| AII |
|
| BI |
Decision No. 194/CT, dated 09/08/86 |
| BII |
|
| BIII |
Under provincial management |
| CI |
Management board established |
| CII |
Social screening requirements
A social screening report has not been prepared for the site.
| Criterion |
Eligibility |
| A |
|
| B |
|
| C |
|
| D |
Literature sources
Le Thanh Nhan (1999) Impressions during a pilgrimage. Vietnam Cultural Window 16: 14-15.
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