Ancient ships discovered off the coast of Hoi An will soon be excavated and brought back for preservation and display.

The seminar attracted the attention and participation of leaders of the Department of Cultural Heritage - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, experts, scientists , managers from central agencies, research institutes, universities, museums and professional agencies in the country.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, the relics were discovered in the coastal area of Hoi An Tay. And this is the first case in Da Nang where almost intact traces of an ancient ship were discovered. "This particularly important discovery has opened up a new direction for research on the history of commercial ports, trade and maritime in the Central region," Ms. Thi said.

Experts and scientists participated in consulting on a plan to preserve ancient ships discovered on the coast of Hoi An.

According to a report by the Hoi An World Heritage Conservation Center, the ancient ship relics first appeared at the end of December 2023 in Thinh My residential group, Hoi An Tay ward, 4.7km south of Cua Dai beach. Since then, the relics have undergone many periods of silting and exposure at different levels.

In May 2024, the Hoi An World Heritage Conservation Center coordinated with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Quang Nam Museum (now the Da Nang Museum) to conduct a survey to collect samples for identification of ancient ship relics. The results showed that the location where the ship was first discovered was at least around 1905, at that time it was still on land, about 700 - 800m from the water's edge. Through analysis and identification of wood samples, it was initially shown that the ship was large in size, had a sturdy structure, and was a combination of Southeast Asian and Chinese shipbuilding traditions.

At the same time, the ship was built from durable and strong wood such as Lagerstroemia (sang le), Kien Kien and pine, using a sealant to prevent water from entering the ship, allowing the ship to make long voyages at sea. However, during this time, the relics continued to be buried in sand, along with a number of other objective reasons, so further activities could not be carried out.

At the end of October 2025, under the influence of storms and rain, the ship appeared with its upper structure almost complete. Through measurements, the ship has a maximum width of 5m, the length of the exposed part measured 17.4m, the details of the beams, planks, partitions, logs, crow bars, traces related to shipbuilding techniques... are quite clearly shown.

Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi said that the conservation of archaeological relics is a complex field, requiring in-depth knowledge, modern techniques and the participation of scientists, researchers, management agencies, localities and the community. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure current regulations on cultural heritage in general and archaeology in particular. "Therefore, all comments and assessments to come up with solutions must be extremely careful, based on scientific grounds, anticipating and resolving all factors that may affect the relics, aiming at the goal of preserving the authenticity and longevity of the relics," Ms. Thi expressed her opinion.

Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc, Deputy Director of the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, said that the ship relics discovered in the coastal area of Hoi An Tay ward open up great opportunities for scientific research on ancient ship and boat heritage, thereby continuing to affirm the role and position of Hoi An in the history of international trade and maritime, but also posing challenges for the work of preserving and promoting the value of relics.

Concluding the discussion, Mr. Tran Dinh Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) said that all solutions are feasible but need to be calculated appropriately. In particular, it is agreed to organize the excavation of the ancient ship around April or May 2026, because at this time the weather is favorable, ensuring that the preparation work is thorough and feasible, including calculating solutions for transporting relics for preservation and display.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Chuyen-dong-van-hoa/se-som-khai-quat-tau-co-phat-hien-ven-bien-hoi-an-va-dem-ve-bao-quan-trung-bay-i788699/