Bac Ninh: Digging a pond to raise fish, people discovered a strange object, revealin.g the mystery of the ancient citadel

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province is coordinating with the Institute of Archaeology under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to conduct an urgent excavation of two ancient boats recently discovered by local people in Cong Ha quarter, Ha Man ward, Thuan Thanh town.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Mao - Director of Bac Ninh Museum and Tourism Promotion - said that the urgent excavation of this relic was carried out from March 3 to April 3 on an excavation area of 300 square meters.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chien said that during the process of renovating a fish pond of more than 1,000 square meters, he discovered two wooden boats at the bottom of the pond.

"During the process of raising fish, the pond often ran out of water, so I decided to hire an excavator to dig deep to keep the surface water in the pond. When the excavator dug about 60cm down, I discovered a wooden wall that ran dozens of meters long. Suspecting that there was an ancient boat underneath, I asked the excavator to stop digging and ran to report it to the local authorities," said Mr. Chien.

The two boats are both 16.2m long but have different widths. The first boat is 1.95m wide, while the second is 2.05m wide. Inside the boat there are 6 compartments of different depths, the deepest compartment is 1.5m.

"According to the initial assessment of archaeological experts, these could be two cargo boats on the Dau River, permanently connected together. This is a unique discovery, with a strange structure with a solid structure that can withstand force and water well.

"Currently,

We asked workers to dig a layer of topsoil and a trench next to the two boats to help drain the surface water. After draining the water, we will peel off each layer of soil from the boat compartments. We will clean the soil inside the boat and then clean the outside of the wall to avoid internal pressure breaking the boat wall," said an official from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh province. To avoid damaging the artifacts, any expose.d areas of the boat were covered. Despite many centuries, the walls and bows of the two boats are still quite sturdy.

Dr. Pham Van Trieu, Deputy Head of the Historical Archaeology Department, Institute of Archaeology - the person in charge of the excavation said that this is a very valuable discovery in terms of history and culture.

Mr. Trieu also said that although it is not possible to confirm the exact ag.e, according to the rule, if it is a dugout canoe, it usually dates from early in history.

The location where the ancient boat traces were found was the Dau River, a branch of the Thien Duc River - Duong River, about 1km from Luy Lau Citadel, about 600m northeast of Dau Pagoda; about 500m as the crow flies from To Pagoda (worshipping Buddha Mother Man Nuong).

Therefore, the process of archaeological excavation and scientific research, through the discovery of related relics and artifacts, will have high value and authenticity, as evidence for the study of ancient economy and trade on the Dau River.

It is known that during the process of land reclamation and digging ponds to raise fish, people discovered ancient boat relics on the Dau River. This is a branch of the Thien Duc River - Duong River, close to the western bank of Luy Lau Citadel.

Currently, experts continue to excavate and research to determine when the boat appeared, identify the type of wood used to build the boat, and study relocation options after the excavation is completed," Mr. Mao informed the media.

Previously, on the afternoon of March 17, comrade Vuong Quoc Tuan, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Ninh province, directly inspected and directed the excavation of the ancient boat relic.

Luy Lau Citadel was built around the 2nd century BC. This was once the capital of Au Lac country built by King An Duong Vuong.

Legend has it that the citadel was built with a magic bamboo stick. The entire project was completed in just one night.

The citadel is 680m long, 529m wide, and has a circumference of more than 2km. Outside the citadel wall is a 3m deep moat and 20m thick wall. Inside there used to be a palace for the king, a treasury...

After King An Duong Vuong lost his country, the ancient citadel of Luy Lau was destroyed by invaders. Now, only a few traces remain.

The case of finding the benefactor who lent 8 taels of gold: Not yet reunited, neighbors reveal a surprise Tuyết Ngọc15:06:07 18/03/2025The journey of a woman in Bac Ninh to find her benefactor 21 years ago has had a happy ending. Although they recognized each other, the two have not yet had an official meeting. The reason has just been revealed by the insider.