Millennial Heritage City and the Continuity of Development: Insights from the Case of Ninh Binh Province

Abstract

 The paper proposes a new approach to heritage cities in the 21st century, grounded in the Millennium Ecosystem Approach. Drawing from the hybrid cultural–natural heritage of Trang An – Hoa Lu, the study introduces the concept of a Millennial Heritage City as a model of continuous development between nature, culture, and human settlement. It argues that heritage should not be seen merely as an object of preservation but as an active resource for sustainable development, creative economy, and knowledge–based growth. In this sense, Hoa Lu emerges as a living symbiosis between heritage and contemporary urbanity, suggesting a new paradigm for Asian cities in the post–industrial and digital transformation era.