A unique maritime culture

Ha Long is not only famous for its geological and geomorphological value and natural landscapes, but also for its unique maritime culture.

The image of the Đầu Rằm ceramic vase – a National Treasure – has been featured on a postage stamp.

Quang Ninh is one of the areas continuously inhabited by ancient Vietnamese people. From approximately 5,000 to 3,500 years ago, the creators of the Ha Long Culture expanded to occupy and exploit the coastal plains and islands. The Ha Long Culture, with its unique characteristics, is one of the largest in Vietnam and occupies a pivotal position from prehistory to history. Its influence can be seen not only in the coastal areas of Quang Ninh but also in Hai Phong and some neighboring coastal regions, with three successive prehistoric cultures developing for over ten thousand years: the Soi Nhu Culture, the Cai Beo Culture, and the Ha Long Culture.

Archaeological evidence, sites, and artifacts of the Cai Beo culture, discovered by the French archaeologist M. Colani in 1938, show that, to survive in the marine environment, the inhabitants of the Cai Beo culture created a set of stone tools (axes, adzes) with pointed heads suitable for harvesting oysters and clams, processing bamboo and wood, and building rafts. Alongside these were tools such as lead weights, pestles, and grinding tables used for fishing and food processing. Hundreds of kilograms of fish bones, including those of sharks, bluefin tuna, and swordfish, were recovered from the Cai Beo site. The Cai Beo culture was the source of the later Ha Long culture in the northeastern coastal region of Vietnam.

The Ha Long culture, dating from the late Neolithic to early Metal Age, is approximately 6,000 to 3,500 years ago. This is evidenced by its diverse archaeological sites, rich collection of artifacts, and new developments in the techniques of crafting stone tools, jewelry, and pottery. Typical examples include stone tools and jewelry: axes and adzes with shoulders and notches, polished all over; bracelets; porous pottery decorated with added patterns, S-shaped patterns, and wave-shaped grooves; and U-shaped grooved tools.

The distinctive feature that creates the cultural imprint of Ha Long in Quang Ninh province is its unique maritime culture, clearly evident from its roots within the contemporary maritime culture system in Vietnam, shaped by the sea, exploiting the sea, and living with the sea to serve life. The creators of the Ha Long culture possessed a more sophisticated understanding of seafaring and marine exploitation techniques than other contemporary maritime cultures in Vietnam, such as the Hoa Loc culture in Thanh Hoa, the Bau Tro culture in Quang Binh, and the Xom Con culture in Khanh Hoa …

The Ha Long culture encompasses numerous archaeological sites of diverse types, including cave dwellings, open-air dwellings, and burial sites across varied terrains. Currently, 30 sites belonging to the Ha Long culture have been discovered in Quang Ninh province . The Ha Long culture developed in two stages: the early stage (5,000-4,000 years ago) and the late stage (4,000-3,500 years ago).

The inhabitants of Ha Long are maritime people. The existence and development of maritime people have always been very dynamic in terms of cultural exchange, integration, and adaptation in prehistoric times. Furthermore, the Ha Long culture has left its mark on early Metal Age cultures in the northern mountainous provinces, especially in the midland and delta regions of the Red River Delta, as well as the coastal plains of the Ma River.

Conversely, these cultures had a significant impact on Ha Long culture, as evidenced by the Phung Nguyen cultural imprint at the Bo Chuyen site (Dai Yen, Ha Long City) and Dau Ram site (Hoang Tan, Quang Yen Town). Through these exchanges with major cultural centers at the time, the inhabitants of Ha Long culture developed their internal strengths, stood firm on their maritime cultural foundation, leveraged the advantages of riverine communities, and capitalized on the achievements of lowland communities. Together with other communities, they contributed to the ancient Vietnamese civilization, establishing the later Van Lang - Au Lac nation.

Street opera singing in Ha Long Bay is a call-and-response style of singing, usually performed collectively by men and women, similar to other courtship customs in Northern Vietnam.

From a life adapted to the sea, fishermen developed a need to express their thoughts and feelings about the sea, their homeland, and their loved ones, leading to the creation of folk art. The folk creations of coastal inhabitants are quite diverse, ranging from legends and fairy tales to folk songs and performing arts, such as: courtship songs in Ha Long Bay (also known as "cheo duong" singing), "hat dum" singing, and sea shanties.

Many intangible cultural heritage elements of the maritime and island culture are integrated to make the festivals vibrant, such as: the Tan An Fishing Festival, the Tien Cong Festival in Quang Yen town, the Ba Men Temple Festival, and the Giang Vong - Truc Vong communal house festival in Ha Long Bay. Festivals in the Ha Long Bay area contain many unique and distinctive cultural values, reflecting the life of the people in the coastal regions of Vietnam in general.

Archaeological evidence in Ha Long provides a basis for research on the geoenvironment, paleoclimate, changes in coastline due to sea level rise and fall, as well as natural events at sea, and understanding the linguistic landscape of ethnic groups in the past. Meanwhile, the rich intangible cultural heritage can be developed into performing arts products to serve tourism.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nen-van-hoa-bien-dac-sac-doc-dao-3334376.html