Goodbye, "old man"!

VHO - If you saw Mr. Lan Cuong riding his motorbike to work or to an archaeological excavation site; if you saw him giving a presentation on his profession or conducting an orchestra in his tailcoat, and especially when he squinted and smiled, it would be difficult to guess his age. And only when reading his obituary would you know that he was 85 years old this year.

My last impression wasn't just from my visit to the Vuon Chuoi archaeological site (Kim Chung commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi ), which happened shortly before he fell ill and had to be hospitalized.

Despite his small stature, he climbed up and down the excavation pits nimbly, and under the sun, he meticulously introduced the skeletons, which he considered exceptionally remarkable, in detail.

He said that in his 60 years of professional work, he had never excavated such a remarkable and important site. In just over 6,000 ^{square meters} (half of the permitted area), they unearthed two hundred sets of skeletons spread across cultural layers from Phung Nguyen, Dong Dau to Dong Son... and up to the modern era, along with tons of pottery fragments and countless other artifacts.

As a leading expert in the study of "ancient people," Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Lan Cuong considers it a gold mine of heritage. He confidently compares "Vuon Chuoi" to "Thang Long Imperial Citadel" as a "perfect pair," one representing the palace and infrastructure of a capital city, and the other the long-standing owners of this land...

In professional circles, it's often said that Lan Cuong is incredibly dedicated to his work. He's so dedicated that he lies sprawled on the ground under the scorching sun, meticulously examining every grain of soil with the tip of a toothpick, searching for artifacts.

This wasn't just a one-time occurrence; throughout his career, he's always maintained this mindset. Hundreds of photos and videos capture this scene. And when he gives a speech or addresses a topic within his field of expertise, he truly seems to be possessed, displaying an unparalleled passion.

I remember the "on-site" workshop at the Vuon Chuoi archaeological site; the chairman suggested only five minutes for a speaker, but they let him speak with all his enthusiasm and frustration...

But not long after that meeting, I heard that he had to be hospitalized. Later, I learned that the illness had already been developing in his body at the time of the presentation at the Banana Garden!

Indeed, when I visited him in the hospital with some friends, he looked very tired, but upon seeing us, he immediately put aside his pain and started talking, reminding me how to promote the value of the Banana Garden and the necessity of preserving the unexcavated parts as an "archaeological park." He then turned to my friend and continued discussing the editing of his books that he planned to publish or republish...

When we said goodbye to his family, we learned of the grim prognosis due to the severity of his illness, and we left with heavy hearts... Yet, just about a week before his death, while I was away on business, I received a phone call from him. His voice was still clear and showed no signs of illness. He reminded me to attend a seminar at Dau Pagoda, where he had spent many years researching and making significant contributions to heritage preservation.

And yet today, we must bid him farewell as he departs for a place with no land to excavate! Whenever the Vuon Chuoi Archaeological Park is built, people will inevitably mention him again, "the elderly gentleman"!

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/tam-biet-chang-trai-cao-tuoi-131659.html