The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on October 31 officially adopted a resolution on the honouring and joint commemoration of the 300th birth anniversary of Le Quy Don, one of Vietnam’s greatest cultural figures and scholars.

The memorial site of scholar Le Quy Don in Le Quy Don commune, Hung Yen province.

The decision was made at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, said the adoption of the resolution is a moment of great pride not only for Hung Yen province, Le Quy Don’s hometown, but also for the entire Vietnamese people.

A delegation from Hung Yen, led by Nguyen Van Chien, member of the provincial Party Committee's Standing Board and head of the Party Committee's board for information and education and mass mobilisation, attended the event.

After the resolution was passed, Chien expressed gratitude to UNESCO and its member states for their support, pledging that the province will work closely with UNESCO and international partners to organise activities marking the scholar’s 300th birth anniversary in 2026.

UNESCO’s decision to honour and jointly commemorate the 300th birth anniversary of Le Quy Don demonstrates the international community’s recognition of Vietnam’s scientific, cultural, and educational heritage, as well as the scholar’s exceptional intellectual contributions.

The resolution is also part of UNESCO’s initiative to jointly celebrate influential global figures whose lives and work advance peace, education, cultural dialogue, and mutual understanding among nations — ideals that Vietnam shares deeply.

The recognition came as a result of close cooperation between Hung Yen province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, together with Vietnamese and international experts.

The nomination dossier met UNESCO’s high standards, demonstrating Le Quy Don’s influence and alignment with the organisation’s values in education, culture, science, and communication.

Le Quy Don (August 2, 1726–June 11, 1784) was born in Dien Ha village, now part of Hung Yen province. Originally named Le Danh Phuong, with the courtesy name Doan Hau and literary name Que Duong, he served as a high-ranking mandarin during the Le Trung Hung (Revival Le) Dynasty.

Widely regarded as one of Vietnam’s greatest scholars, he authored more than 40 works covering history, culture, agriculture, astronomy, and geography.

His best-known writings including Van dai loai ngu, Kien van tieu luc, Dai Viet thong su, Bac su thong luc, and Toan Viet thi luc are considered encyclopedic in various fields.

To mark the 300th anniversary of his birth next year, Hung Yen province will host a series of cultural and educational events to celebrate his life and contributions.

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