Typhoon Kalmaegi passes to reveal ancient ships in Hoi An, experts are surprised by the shocking truth

After heavy rain and violent waves lasting from late October to early November, Cua Dai beach (Hoi An Tay ward, Da Nang city) again became the focus of attention when the ancient hull that was discovered at the end of 2023 continues to be more visible on the sand.

The reappearance of the wreck is of particular interest to locals and heritage researchers, as it is considered one of the rarest and most intact ancient maritime artifacts ever found in Vietnam.

Sharing with the press, Mr. Bui Van Dung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoi An Tay Ward, said that immediately after discovering that the hull of the ship continued to emerge, the local authorities zoned the area to protect the scene, and at the same time propagated people not to enter the sensitive area.

"We have put up warning signs, arranged regular security forces and coordinated with specialized agencies to monitor the condition of the ship. The goal is not to let curious people intrude or affect the artifacts," Mr. Dung said.

The scene is located within the scope of the emergency anti-erosion embankment on Cua Dai coast, in Thinh My street block (now Hoi An Tay ward). After many days of rain and wind, the wooden frame and hull were more exposed, with the shape suggesting that this was a large-sized, complex ship.

Local authorities are also disseminating regulations on the protection of underwater cultural heritage, in order to raise public awareness in preserving this precious artifact.

The ship was discovered at dawn on December 26, 2023, when people were walking along the coast when they suddenly saw a large wooden frame gradually rising under the sand. The location of the discovery is located about 400m from the headquarters of the People's Committee of Cam An ward (old) towards An Bang beach.

After receiving the information, the Hoi An city government (former) and the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center quickly intervened, protected the scene and conducted carbon sampling (C14) to date the ship.

In 2024, the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center in collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City). Ho Chi Minh City) completed the preliminary research report. The results showed that the shipwrecked wooden ship was large in size, solid in structure, built according to a combination of Southeast Asia and China.

The ship is crafted from many precious woods such as mausoleum, kien kien (typical of Southeast Asia) and pine (from China). In particular, the hull is plastered with a special grease to prevent seawater from seeping in, helping to maintain durability and long-term buoyancy.

Scientists say the ship can be more than 17.8 meters long, including about 12 compartments, allowing it to make long voyages – serving sea trade or even naval warfare.

Although absolute dating is still awaited, based on the structure, materials and location of the discovery, researchers believe that the ship may date from the mid-14th to the 16th century – a period when maritime trade in Southeast Asia was thriving. especially trade routes between Vietnam, China, Japan and Arabia.

Up to now, after the recent rain and flood, the wreck has once again "turned around", revealing the opportunity to continue the excavation work. Researchers expect that, if carefully exploited, the Cua Dai ship can become the most important underwater cultural heritage of Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Typhoon Kalmaegi entered Quy Nhon directly, people in these provinces did not go out to the streets after 18 hours Mai Hoa15:04:22 06/11/2025Forecast to have great destructive power, Typhoon Kalmaegi is moving into the mainland of Vietnam in the next few hours. People in Quy Nhon and neighboring provinces are warned not to go out on the street after 18:00.