Ancient boat in Bac Ninh belongs to Hai Ba Trung?

The ancient boat in Bac Ninh is not an artifact of the Ly Tran dynasty but belongs to the Dong Son period.

"Super ancient" ancient boat in Bac Ninh

Information said that there have been results of C14 dating of 2 artifacts still called ancient boats in Bac Ninh. Accordingly, these 2 artifacts are dated 1,800-1,600 years ago. Thus, the 2 ancient boats in Bac Ninh are artifacts of the late Dong Son period. "Currently, there is no official report on the C14 dating of the two ancient boats in Bac Ninh. The Institute of Archaeology has sent samples to 3 places to determine the dating but there has been no official announcement from these places. The information about the 1,800-1,600 dating is most likely from one of those three places, and is an announcement between experts," a source from the Institute of Archaeology said.

2 artifacts called ancient boats in Bac Ninh

PHOTO: MINH NHAM

Meanwhile, Dr. Nguyen Viet, Director of the Southeast Asian Prehistoric Research Center, confirmed this dating result. This expert has worked for many years and is close to Professor Peter Bellwood, an expert in Roman-era boat technology research. He is also the one who, right from the "field" workshop in March 2025, affirmed that this artifact demonstrates typical Dong Son technique. This technique is demonstrated by using dugout canoes as the bottom, joining the side planks with mortise and tenon joints, and wooden pegs to increase the height and stabilize the boat's body.

Responding to Thanh Nien , Dr. Nguyen Viet said: "Compared to the Dong Son boats that have been discovered, the ancient boats in Bac Ninh are basically similar in technique."

However, Dr. Nguyen Viet commented: "But the difference is that if it is a boat, it always has a head and a tail. Because it wants to go, it must have a direction, so its head must be small like a dugout canoe in the Central Highlands, that is the aerodynamics of boats in the world . In what we see as a boat shape, in reality there is no head and tail structure like that, but the head and tail are exactly the same. That means it only creates a floating object."

Double-decker boat

PHOTO: TL

Dr. Nguyen Viet said that the two ancient boats in Bac Ninh clearly had a boat structure, but it did not ensure the boat's mobility, such as having a head, a tail, and a place for oars, a rudder, etc. "I tend to think that it was a structure to float an architecture above. That is also reasonable because to float, there must be a floating structure that resembles a boat," said Dr. Nguyen Viet.

According to Dr. Nguyen Viet, his conclusion that this boat is not this boat is only different in function. Otherwise, the Dong Son technical element is quite clear. "The function is not to create boats to move like Dong Son boats, but I think it is a floating object," Dr. Viet commented.

However, regarding the two ancient boats in Bac Ninh, whether they are a form of "ferry", meaning they help objects float and even move, Dr. Viet said that there is no definite confirmation. "It can move, but it must have something to pull. There may be another boat pulling it or people on both banks pulling it. But in my opinion, we should not imagine too quickly because we have not found evidence yet. For example, when pulling a boat on the Volga River, the two sides have something to tie and pull, but we have not found that yet. Or the object to pull is in the front, using a few boats to pull this artifact, I think it is also possible", Dr. Nguyen Viet informed.

Peak of technology on ancient boats in Bac Ninh

Dr. Nguyen Viet especially praised the Dong Son people's knowledge of wood, water, and structures floating on water, as shown in these two artifacts still called ancient boats in Bac Ninh. What he especially emphasized was the superiority of this knowledge compared to the region: "It must be said that it is the best."

Ancient boats in Bac Ninh are large in size.

PHOTO: TRIEU NGUYEN

Dr. Viet shared that Professor Peter Bellwood, a researcher on Roman ships, initially thought that the ship was transferred from Rome. However, when these scientists researched together and published articles in the journal Ship Archaeology, the awareness that the Dong Son area in Giao Chi (which is the Red River Delta) had a very high level of technology compared to the world at that time in shipbuilding technology, especially the technique of making the sides of the ship high and connecting the sides together, became more and more solidified. "The Dau River boat is the tallest, the tallest we have today. The world is the same, there is nothing higher," said Dr. Nguyen Viet.

Remember, when 2 ancient boats appeared in Bac Ninh, many people thought that these were 2 ancient boats of the Ly - Tran dynasty. This model of a 2-bottom boat of the Ly dynasty was also recorded in history books. Specifically, Viet Su Luoc recorded that in 1106, the Vinh Long 2-bottom boat was built, Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu recorded that in 1124, the Tuong Quang 2-bottom boat was built.

Is the discovery of an ancient boat in Bac Ninh dating back to the Dong Son period a better result than the Ly Tran period? Regarding this, Dr. Nguyen Viet said: "The Ly Tran period was from the 13th-14th century, but this is from the 2nd-3rd century. Our Dong Son is quite magnificent."

Regarding whether these two artifacts are related to religion or military, Dr. Nguyen Viet said: "When I researched Dong Son, there were many spiritual activities. I did not think about the military, but I thought about the religious rituals of that time. Of course, this structure is related to the royal court, but in my mind I thought a lot about the activities of the Trung Sisters. Maybe it is something that needs to be expanded."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thuyen-co-o-bac-ninh-la-cua-hai-ba-trung-185251017125216339.htm