This archaeological site is located on a 6-hectare land area including Bai Coi sand dunes and surrounding areas such as Bai Loi and Bai Phoi Phoi, first discovered by the Institute of Archaeology in 1974. Bai Coi site is a burial complex distributed over a large area with two types of earthen graves and jar graves buried alternately.
The interesting point that creates the special value of the Bai Coi site is that in many jar tombs (Sa Huynh) there are artifacts belonging to Dong Son culture, and conversely in the earthen tombs (Dong Son) many artifacts bearing the characteristics of Sa Huynh culture are found.
The times of “awakening”…
In early 1974, the Institute of Archaeology conducted a survey in Nghi Xuan commune and discovered a two-headed animal earring. In May of that year, the History Department of Hanoi University discovered and explored the Bai Phoi Phoi site. According to the research team's assessment at that time, the Phoi Phoi site dates back to the Late Neolithic period and bears many similarities to the Con Loi Mot site. In 1976, the History Department officially excavated the Bai Phoi Phoi site. The excavation results showed that this was a Late Neolithic site belonging to the Bau Tro culture.
In the summer of 1977, the Vietnam Museum of History conducted a survey of Bai Phoi Phoi and discovered a number of ceramic fragments, especially two green glass rings, indicating the existence of a later period in this area. In the following 30 years, staff of the Vietnam Museum of History and the Institute of Archaeology “re-examined” the Bai Phoi Phoi site several times, mainly conducting surface surveys, without conducting any exploration or excavation.
In November 2008, Ha Tinh Museum and Nghi Xuan Commune People's Committee officials announced that local people had dug up many antiques, especially bronze objects, in the Bai Coi area, adjacent to Bai Phoi Phoi. Upon receiving the information, the Vietnam Museum of History coordinated with the Ha Tinh Museum to conduct a thorough survey of the area. From 2008 to 2013, the Vietnam Museum of History coordinated with the Ha Tinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and many domestic and foreign research teams to organize three expeditions and excavations, discovering a treasure trove of ceramic, bronze, iron artifacts, burial clusters, jar tombs, burial objects... dating back about 2,000 years.
Through surveys and excavations, experts concluded that the Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi site converges all the elements of the Sa Huynh culture (South Central region) and Dong Son (Northern region), showing that Ha Tinh land is a buffer zone, a place where two famous cultures in prehistoric times intersect quite densely. With those special cultural and historical values, the Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi archaeological site has attracted the attention of many people at home and abroad. Recognizing the importance and special values of the site, in 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized the Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi archaeological site as a national relic.
Almost no one knows it is a relic.
Arriving at the archaeological site of Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi among the vast sand dunes, we were surprised because this place is still just a sandy land with many traces of messy digging, no surrounding fence, no caretaker, and no boundary markers.
The archaeological site is still a wild place, a place for grazing cattle and buffaloes, and all the roads as well as the relic site itself do not have any nameplates or guide signs... Few people can imagine that this is the campus of the national archaeological site Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi.
Mr. Tran Van Tam (Bac Son village, Nghi Xuan commune), a resident of the relic site, said: “I have lived here for a long time. Before, I saw many groups coming to excavate and search for antiques without knowing that this place had been recognized as a national relic, because the government had not announced or put up signs. In this area, people still occasionally come to illegally dig for sand…”.
It is known that at many voter meetings, local people have reported to authorities at all levels about the situation where many households living around the relic site have arbitrarily encroached on the protected area because there are no signs or directions, causing many people to mistake it for a vacant lot.
Faced with the situation of the archaeological site of Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi being forgotten, encroached upon, and not receiving attention for protection, many researchers and people with passion for the relic have repeatedly spoken out, hoping that specialized agencies and authorities at all levels will implement solutions to manage, preserve, conserve, exploit, and promote the value of this rare heritage.
Mr. Dau Khoa Toan, Director of Ha Tinh Provincial Museum, said: “The archaeological site of Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi is a meeting place for major prehistoric cultures in Vietnam. Currently, valuable excavated artifacts and antiquities are being preserved and displayed by Ha Tinh Provincial Museum and the National Museum of History. However, despite being ranked as a national relic, this relic is still facing encroachment from sand mining and antiquities hunting every hour.”
A teacher at Nghi Xuan Secondary School (Ha Tinh) said that during extracurricular hours, the school really wants to introduce students to the historical and cultural traditions of their homeland through specific, practical lessons right at the relics in the area.
However, the national archaeological site of Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi is still just an empty lot, without artifacts, no exhibition or introduction house, so students cannot imagine it.
With these concerns, talking to us, Mr. Bui Viet Hung, Chairman of Nghi Xuan Commune People's Committee (Ha Tinh) said: "We are also very concerned because this is a very valuable archaeological site but is being encroached upon. The commune also really wants to have funds to soon establish a plan, invest in building a protective fence, some items, and an exhibition house to preserve and promote the value of the national relic. However, up to now, the commune still does not have funds to do so."
Because the boundaries of the archaeological site protection area have not been demarcated on the ground and there is no plan for supervision and protection, the relics have many shortcomings that cause loss of aesthetics and disgust. It is worth mentioning that the relic area has a large area and there is no protective fence, so people have encroached to build tombs.
It is time for the authorities and local governments to step in and inspect and assess the current status of the protected area of the national archaeological site of Phoi Phoi - Bai Coi; develop a plan to manage, protect and promote the value of the relic. The longer the delay, the more this national archaeological site will be "destroyed" by excavation and encroachment...
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/dau-xot-voi-hien-trang-166185.html
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