On the morning of December 31, 2024, at the Can Tho Museum, the Vietnam National Museum of History in collaboration with the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the conference to announce the preliminary results of excavation at Thanh Trung site.
Attending the conference were Dr. Nguyen Van Doan - Director of the Vietnam National Museum of History; Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Le Hong Dong, Director of Can Tho Museum; representatives of the People's Committee of Co Do District, the People's Committee of Trung Hung Commune, Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Can Tho Museum, Vietnam National Museum of History and other local departments and agencies.
The Thạnh Trung site is located at Thạnh Trung Hamlet, Trung Hung Commune, Co Do District, Can Tho City. Discovered in 1991, the site has been surveyed several times by Can Tho Museum, revealing numerous broken bricks, large stones gathered into clusters, traces of wooden stakes and many ceramic fragments. Based on these findings, in October 2024, the Vietnam National Museum of History collaborated with Can Tho Museum to excavate the Thạnh Trung site.
Panoramic photograph of Thanh Trung site
At the conference, on behalf of the excavation team, the team leader - Dr. Truong Dac Chien reported the preliminary results of the excavation . According to the report, archaeologists opened two excavation units with a total area of approximately 50m2 . Due to the units being located in areas with significant distance and elevation differences, their stratigraphy also varied, reflecting different forms of habitation. Within the cultural layer, archaeologists discovered several features, including a clay foundation, a black soil pit, and wooden stilt house posts.
Dr. Truong Dac Chien presenting the excavation results at the conference
An overview of the team handling the black soil pit at excavation Unit 1.
In addition to the mentioned features, archaeologists also discovered a considerable number of artefacts, including stone, ceramic, metal, and glass items. These artifacts encompass various forms such as axes, rollers, wedge-shaped stones, grinding tables, beads, jars, pots, portable stoves, bottles, mushroom-shaped ceramics, iron knives, and lead-tinearrings.
Excavation scene at excavation Unit 2
The stake remains exposed in excavation Unit 2
Some artefacts discovered at the Thạnh Trung site
From the overall analysis of the features and artefacts, it can be concluded that Thạnh Trung is a habitation site. The residential nature is clearly reflected in the cultural layer, with the presence of clusters of ceramics, charcoal, animal bone remains, clay foundations, and wooden stakes planted in the soil. Notably, the two units, represent two different types of habitation. In Unit 1, the settlement was built on the ground, with elevated foundations to cope with flooding, while in Unit 2 , the settlement was built on stilts. Regarding dating, based on the excavation results, archaeologists initially suggest that Thạnh Trung belongs to the early phase of the Oc Eo culture, dating from the 1st to 3rd century AD. Thạnh Trung also shares similarities with early Oc Eo sites such as Go Tu Tram, Go Cay Thi, and even some pre-Oc Eo sites like Giong Cu, K9, and Go Hang. Additionally, the types of features and artefacts found at Thạnh Trung can be compared with those at Nhon Thanh, which raises the possibility that Thạnh Trung could be a link connecting early Oc Eo sites in An Giang with Nhon Thanh in Can Tho.
At the conference, Dr. Nguyen Van Doan highly appreciated the efforts as well as the results achieved, considering them as an essential foundation for a long-term cooperation program between the Vietnam National Museum of History and the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism . This program would not only focus on archaeological excavation but also in other professional activities such as exhibition, preservation and publication.
Dr. Nguyen Van Doan - Director of VNMH giving speech at the conference
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan giving speech at the conference
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Director of the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also acknowledged the achievements of the excavation team and provided general comments on the new discoveries at Thạnh Trung in relation to the Oc Eo culture in Can Tho. He emphasized to raise public awareness and education about cultural history in general, and specifically about the Oc Eo culture, to enhance the understanding of this significant cultural heritage among the people of Can Tho.. Additionally, He supported the proposal to establish a long-term cooperation program with the Vietnam National Museum of History and highlighted the importance of creating an archaeological mapping plan for Can Tho City.
Thu Hiền