Bảo tàng lịch sử Quốc gia

The symposium has assembled a great number of scholars of the domains: archaeology, museology… coming to present their point of view on the preservation and valorisation of the archaeological site of Den Thuong (Co Loa).

We present here the ideas of Dr Vu Quoc Hien at the symposium:

1. The archaeological site of Den Thuong (Co Loa) has undergone excavations and explorations during years. The results are remarkable, on the character of the site: it was the place of moulding of the legendary arrow heads of Co Loa. After the archaeologists who studied the site, the site belongs to the period of Co Loa, probably corresponding to the time of An Duong Vuong…

This has a great historical signification, the more so that the archaeological site of Den Thuong is situated in the territory of Den Thuong, one place one must visit when visiting Co Loa.

During the excavations, the experienced archaeologists of the Archaeological Institute of Vietnam, aware of the importance of the site, have applied methods of archaeological suitable for the preservation on the spot.

For the precedimg reasons, I agree with the project of preservation on the spot of the site of Den Thuong (Co Loa) proposed by the Archaeological Institute of Vietnam in concert with the Center of Preservation of the site of Co Loa and of the Ancient Citadel of Hanoi.

2. The question is what must be done to protect and valorize the archaeological site of Den Thuong (Co Loa).

In Vietnam, these past years, there is the question of preservation of certain important archaeological sites. One has undertaken the preservation of certain sites at various degrees, such as at Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh), at the Pagoda of Doi Son (Ha Nam), Dong Dau (Vinh Phuc)…

Some years later, it becomes clear that the results obtained are not as expected. Nearly all the preserved sites are degraded by the harmful effects of the environment. The causes of this fact are numerous but the main reason is the simplistic conception of the investor, the poorness of the financial resources, the lack of knowledge of advanced methods and technologies…

Even in China, where great financial resources are available to acquire the most advanced methods and technologies of the world, things are not better. I have had the opportunity to visit and talk with chinese specialists working in famous sites submitted to the preservation on the spot such as Tam Tinh, Kim Sa (Tu Xuyen), Binh Ma Dung (Thiem Tay)…, they admitted that uncontrolled facts occurred which have a bad influence on the objects and the sites, especially changes of colour. They are studying, or even hiring foreign specialists, to build up new projects in order to limitate the harmful effects on the ancient objects and the sites.

This is to prove that the preservation of sites is very difficult and onerous. If one has enough financial resources, one must carefully choose the partner (even foreign), which must have adequate technical capacities, advanced methods and technologies, and which must reject the use of backward equipments and technologies.

Vũ Quốc Hiền