Close-up of a thousand-year-old double-hulled ancient boat just discovered in the old bed of the Dau River
Two ancient boats recently excavated in Thuan Thanh town (Bac Ninh province) have very unique archaeological values for Vietnam, even at the world level, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Tong Trung Tin, Chairman of the Vietnam Archaeological Association.
Báo Công an Nhân dân•26/03/2025
In recent days, information about the urgent excavation of two ancient boats located on the ancient Dau River, a branch of the Thien Duc River (Duong River) flowing close to the western bank of Luy Lau citadel in Cong Ha quarter, Ha Man ward, Thuan Thanh town, Bac Ninh province has attracted special attention from domestic and foreign scientists as well as the public. The first person to discover the two ancient boats was Mr. Nguyen Van Chien (50 years old), residing in Cong Ha quarter, Ha Man ward. Mr. Chien said that in December 2024, his family renovated a fish pond. When the excavator dredged the mud at the bottom of the pond, they discovered a strange object. "I stopped the excavator, waited 1-2 days for the sand to dry and saw the imprint of two boats," Mr. Chien told CAND Newspaper reporter. "I thought it could be an antique, so I reported it to the authorities to find the best solution." Up to now, although the pond construction had to be stopped for a long time to serve the excavation work, Mr. Chien's family still enthusiastically supported it. "This is a cultural heritage so everyone has the responsibility to protect it," he said. "In the past few days, many archaeologists have come to research and people have come to see." Dr. Pham Van Trieu, Deputy Head of the Department of Historical Archaeology (Institute of Archaeology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences) said that after receiving information about the two boats, archaeologists spent 1 month researching the site and making a plan before starting the excavation to ensure the original state of the artifacts. According to Dr. Trieu, unlike the boats that have been found without compartments, these two boats are divided into 6 compartments, joined together completely with wooden nails in a sturdy and meticulous manner. Scientists have so far not discovered any traces of metal on the boat's hull. Dr. Trieu added that through surveying sources of documents and field work, archaeologists have preliminarily determined that these two boats were located on the ancient Dau River. The location of discovery is about 800m from Luy Lau citadel, an area with many important historical relics. There is currently no conclusion about the age and type of the two boats; however, archaeologists believe that the two boats were probably built between the 11th and 14th centuries using teak and ironwood. No other artifacts were found inside the boats, only some seeds, fruits and branches. Archaeologists were impressed by the plank that joined the two boats at the bow. The plank was about 6.4m long. This was the first time archaeologists had discovered this type of joint in Vietnam, showing the technical advances when they were made. After many years, the joints at the bow of the boat with the wooden planks were still quite intact. Based on the shape and structure of the two hulls, archaeologists also determined that the bottom of the boat was made from a 95cm wide wooden trunk in the style of a single log, up to 16.2m long; the top was joined together to form a longitudinal wall. The walls of the boat compartments had mortises built along the floor to the bottom of the boat. The distance from the highest point of the hull to the bottom was 2.15m, the depth of the compartment was nearly 2m. The two excavated boats had similar dimensions, about 16m long and more than 1m wide. In addition, scientists determined that the two boats were likely joined together, in other words, they formed a double-hulled boat (double-bottomed) with an upper deck area of up to 100 square meters. Associate Professor Bui Minh Tri (Institute of Archaeology, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences) assessed that this "double-bottomed" boat operated by sails and was abandoned on the river before sinking.
To determine the age and function of the boat, many specimens have been collected. Some of them are being analyzed using the Carbon-14 (C14) radioisotope method. The Institute of Archaeology will coordinate with the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology to carry out this process, which is expected to take about 20-25 days to get the results. At the Field Workshop on the results of the excavation of the two boats held on the morning of March 26, scientists proposed many solutions to preserve the two ancient boats, in which many scientists affirmed that moving two boats of such large size from the site is very difficult, and at the same time suggested that the locality and all levels and sectors study on-site preservation options (building tanks, erecting exhibition houses). Associate Professor Dr. Tong Trung Tin, Chairman of the Vietnam Archaeological Association, said that the two boats that have just been excavated have unique and great archaeological value not only for Vietnamese archaeology but also at the world level. He suggested that scientists continue to research and compare them with waterways found in the region and the world, as well as study the historical trade flows to further clarify the origin of the two boats.
Báo Công an Nhân dân•26/03/2025
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