Through excavation of the ancient boat discovered in January 2025 in Cong Ha area, Ha Man ward, Thuan Thanh town, Bac Ninh province, experts assessed this as a unique boat in Vietnam, dating from the Ly to Tran dynasties.
Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province Nguyen Van Dap said that after consulting scientists and experts, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province proposed to preserve this ancient boat in situ.
Unique double-decker boat
Mr. Nguyen Van Dap said that after a period of urgent excavation, all traces of the ancient boat relic were revealed, through which the entire scale, structure, materials and manufacturing techniques of the boat could be identified.
The ancient boat discovered consisted of two boats of similar size, more than 16m long, about 2m wide, the deepest part of 2.15m, lying on the Dau River (today, this river no longer exists).
These two structures are of similar size, 2.3m apart and are connected by wooden panels at the ends to secure them together.
In particular, the bottom of the boat has a dugout structure, with the widest diameter being 0.95m. The boat's body is connected from the bottom to the top edge of the boat's side by planks.
Overall, the entire two hulls of the boat were crafted using the same technique of carving a single log, joining the planks with mortise and tenon joints, then the mortise and tenon joints were secured with wooden nails.
The most complex technique is shown in the bow and stern, which is the connection between the dugout bottom and the sideboard, which are locked together, fixed by 4 wooden pillars of similar size 5cm x 5cm. This is the first technique seen in ancient boat building techniques in Vietnam and the world .
From the results of the emergency excavation at the site, the opinions of experts and scientists show that this is a type of catamaran, the traces discovered at the site are the two remaining hulls completely submerged under water, functioning as two buoys supporting the entire structure above. The structure above has been completely lost, possibly due to being disassembled.
Based on documents about ancient boats in Vietnam and around the world, scientists assess that this is the only boat relic with the largest scale, most complex structure and technique discovered so far, not only in Vietnam but also in the world.
Regarding the age, based on the boat building technique, scientists believe that this type of boat often dates back to early times and could have been built in Vietnam, a continuation of the boat building technique of the Dong Son culture through comparing the bottom of the two hulls with the dugout structure and mortise and tenon technique.
Based on Chinese and international boat documents, it is believed that the boats date from the 11th to the 14th century (Ly and Tran dynasties) and cannot be later than the 15th century, with technical influence from the South.
In situ conservation?
Based on the current status of the relic, the excavation site, and the recommendation of the Institute of Archaeology, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province proposed that the Provincial People's Committee allow the implementation of the plan to keep the ancient boat relic intact at the site.
This is the most optimal solution to protect and promote the value of the relic because moving the relic in its original state is unavoidable given the large scale of the relic (about 100m2).
To implement this, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will preside over and coordinate with the Institute of Archaeology and relevant agencies and units to carry out emergency conservation of the relic according to the plan of temporarily filling the sand to protect the original state of the relic after completing the research and documentation work on the site.
This project is carried out scientifically, similar to what has been done for other archaeological heritages.
Along with that, Bac Ninh set up protective fences and signs about the relic area, prohibiting illegal construction and resource exploitation activities within the protection area; at the same time, regularly monitoring: Assigning specialized staff or coordinating with the local community to regularly monitor the status of the relic, promptly detecting and handling risks of encroachment...
In particular, the province applies advanced technology such as using modern preservation methods to prevent the decomposition of wood materials, such as chemical treatment, humidity and temperature control.
At the same time, Bac Ninh continues to expand research to identify the value of the relic in the overall space of the Dau River in history. Organize an international scientific conference with the participation of leading experts in ancient boats, history, culture and related sciences to assess the value of the relic in a broader space, and at the same time advise on solutions for long-term preservation and promotion of the value of the relic.
Regarding the issue of promoting the cultural value of the relic, Mr. Nguyen Van Dap said that the industry will design a cultural tour combining ancient boat visits with other historical and cultural relics in the Luy Lau ancient citadel area, Thuan Thanh town, Bac Ninh province.
Carry out on-site display, introduction and interpretation of ancient boat relics using images and 3D technology, or can restore the original, reduce the scale of the relics to serve the display, creating an intuitive feeling for visitors.../.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/de-xuat-bao-ton-tai-cho-thuyen-co-doc-nhat-vo-nhi-tai-viet-nam-post1036456.vnp
Comment (0)