DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN VIETNAM BY HA VAN TAN In Vietnam all archaeological researches before 1945 only involved French archaeologists. In 1945, when the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was founded, archaeological research became a focus of attention. But the war of resistance against French colonialism completely disrupted these efforts. Vietnamese archaeology, in fact, has only existed since 1954, when peace was restored in North Vietnam. From 1975, archaeological activity began to be conducted systematically on a nation-wide scale. SPAFA JOURNAL VOLUME TWO NUMBER THREE 9 CURRENT STATUS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL research and preservation of historical September at the Institute of RESEARCH relics in their localities. Archaeology. The papers presented at the conference, usually up to a The most important institution in this The Vietnam Institute of Archaeology hundred in number, are made public field is the Vietnam Institute of now employs 45 archaeologists and in a proceedings volume entitled Archaeology, affiliated to the 15 technicians specialized in "Nhung phat hien moi ve khao co National Centre for Social Sciences. photography, drawing and hoc" (New Discoveries in Members of the Institute are active restoration. It has now 5 research Archaeology). So far 18 such volumes throughout the territory of Vietnam. departments: Department of Stone have been published. The Institute of Social Sciences in Ho Age Studies, Department of Metal Chi Minh City, also belonging to the Age Studies, Department of Historical Since 1985, many foreign archaeologists National Centre for Social Sciences, Archaeology, Department of Ancient have collaborated with their comprises a group of researchers in Technology, Department of Ancient Vietnamese colleagues in excavating charge of archaeological sites Environment and Man. It also archaeological sites in Vietnam. A southern Vietnam. possesses a number of laboratories, group of American paleontologists but at present they are still very and archaeologists have joined the Archaeological researches are also poorly equipped. Many analyses of Vietnam Institute of Archaeology in conducted at a number of museums, archaeological artefacts should be excavating Lang Trang Cave in particularly the National Museum of carried out at laboratories of the Thanh Hoa Province. History in Hanoi. These museums other scientific centres. are under the portfolio of the Japanese archaeologists from the Ministry of Culture and Information. In the past, Vietnam had to send University of Tokyo and Sophia samples abroad for C14 dating but University have also joined us in Archaeology is taught at the faculty we have now have a radiocarbon excavating Lang Vac, a site of the of history in the various universities, laboratory at the Institute of Energy Dong Son Cullture in Nghe An but only the University of Hanoi has in Ho Chi Minh City. Province. Together with Australian a Department of Archaeology which Archaeologists, we have excavated is specialized in training archaeologists. In Vietnam underwater archaeology some medieval sites of ceramics in Every year, from 6 to ten students- is still non-existant. But with a Hai Hung Province. archaeologists graduate from the country having such a long sea coast University. In Vietnam universities and a good number of islands, it is In February and March 1993, a joint are affiliated to the Ministry of an urgent task to build this branch of team of Vietnamese and British Education and Training. archaeology. excavated a site in Tra Kieu, the ancient capital of the Champa In their activities, archaeologists at The Institute of Archaeology Kingdom, now situated in Quang the Institute of Archaeology, the publishes the quarterly "Khao co hoc" Nam Da Nang Province. Another National Museum of History and the (Archaeology) in Vietnamese with group of Japanese archaeologists, University of Hanoi usually cooperate summaries in English. The National including Professors G. Hasebe and in conducting excavations. Museum of History also occassionally Y. Aoyagi, are joining us in issues a review entitled "Thong bao excavating Cham ceramic kilns in Artefacts found from excavations, khoa hoc Vien Bao tang Lich su Viet Binh Dinh Province. once having been studied, are stored Nam" (Scientific Communication of and preserved at the National the National Museum of History). Museum of History or in the various NEW DISCOVERIES AND RESEARCHES provincial museums. At the provincial Archaeologists throughout Vietnam museums, there are also some get together at an archaeological The earliest traces of prehistoric man archaeologists who are in charge of conference held annually in found so far in Vietnam belong to 10 SPAFA JOURNAL VOLUME TWO NUMBER THREE Homo erectus. Teeth of Homo Province. Cave contains classic Hoabinhian erectus have been discovered in artefacts, including sumatraliths, short caves in Lang Son and Nghe An Recently, a wide open site of the Son axes and edge-ground tools, but Provinces, from Middle Pleistocene Vi Culture has been investigated by twenty C14 dates from this cave deposits. the joint Vietnamese-Japanese ranged between 17,000 and 18,000 archaeological team in Lang Vac years BP. Recently, the Lang Trang Caves in Village, Nghe An Province, under a Thanh Hoa Provinces were excavated Dongsonian site. The Son Vi Cuture Recently, the joint Vietnamese- by the joint Vietnamese-American is characterized by end-choppers and Bulgarian excavation at the Dieu team and yielded a Pleistocene fauna side-choppers (or scrapers) made rockshelter in Ba Thuoc District, with hominid dental remains. from waterworn quartzite pebbles. Thanh Hoa Province has entered the Electron spin resonance procedures Sumatraliths are absent from the Son final phase. Radiocarbon datings were employed for dating the Vi sites. The Son Vi Culture dates show that human beings already stratigraphic levels of four caves, the between 23,000 to 13,000 years BP. existed in this region from 8,000 to chronology ranging from 480,000+/- 25,000 years ago. With many stone 40,000 years BP to 146,000+/-2000 After the excavations at Mieng Ho tools and large quantities of animal years BP. Within the rich faunal Cave in 1972 and the Nguom bones, several aspects of the natural deposits, the hominid specimens (two rockshelter in 1981, a flake industry and cultural evolution from molars, one premolar, one canine and was known to our archaeologists. Pleistocene to Holocene and from one incisor) are likely attributable to Most of the artifacts are amorphous Paleolithic to Neolithic Ages have Homo cf. erectus based more on flakes with marginal retouch. This been observed and identified. temporal context than on morphological flake industry is estimated to be from criteria. 30,000 to 23,000 years BP, existed In Vietnam we can see the law of before the Son Vi Culture. Thus, in unequal development in prehistoric As for stone tools used by Homo Vietnam, the flake industry of the culture. In this area, the Hoabinhian erectus, none have been found in Late Pleistocene has been replaced by began but in another, the Sonviian those caves where the teeth come. the core pebble industry. Researchers not yet came to an end. Similarly, The handaxes, choppers and have tried to explain this by the Bac Son Culture makes its chopping-tools discovered at Mount suggesting a change in the ecological appearance in the Lang Son area Do in Thanh Hoa Province and at environment from a dry, cold climate when the Hoabinhian continued its Xuan Loc in Dong Nai Province are to a hot, humid one. Sparse existence in other sites. regarded by some archaeologists as subtropical forests were narrowing tools used by Early Paleolithic man. down while dense tropical rain The Institute of Archaeology Many other researchers, however, are forests were spreading, hence the published a book "The Hoa Binh still doubtful because there is no way replacement of one tool-kit by Culture in Vietnam" in 1989. to date these artefacts with any another,which is proof of the degree of accuracy. adaptive behaviour of prehistoric In Vietnam alone, archaeologists so man. far have noted at least four lines for Our picture of the Late Pleistocene the development of post-Hoabinhian has been changed radically by the Vietnamese archaeologists have good culture: discovery of the Son Vi Culture in reasons to think that the Hoabinhian 1968. So far traces of this culture has its origins in the Son Vi Culture. 1. The Da But Culture in Thanh Hoa have been found in more than 120 Now, we have collected firm Province. This culture is represented sites located an ancient alluvial evidence to show that the by round-bottomed pottery. At the terraces and in caves, as far up north Hoabinhian in Vietnam extended beginning, axes were ground on the as Lao Cai and Ha Giang Provinces back earlier than the Pleistocene- edge only. Later, axes had an oval and far down south as Nghe An Holocene boundary. The Xom Trai section and were entirely polished. In SPAFA JOURNAL VOLUME TWO NUMBER THREE 1 1 1990, the Lang Cong site, Thanh Hoa received intensive study. The Ha various types have been found: Province, was excavated and adds Giang Culture in Ha Giang Province stone-covered, pottery-covered, and more light to our knowledge of this identified by our archaeologists in jar burials. On this site, we also culture. 1990 shows many similarities with found artefacts of the famous Dong some neolithic sites in south-eastern Son Culture, including daggers, 2. The Quyng Van Culture in Nghe Yunnan (China). What is most situlaes, arm and leg rings attached An and Ha Tinh Provinces. Unlike striking is the new discoveries in the with tintinnabulas. One of the most Da But tools, stone tools used in the Central Highlands. Along Dak Ke remarkable finds is a bronze pick axe Quynh Van Culture were flaked not spring in Dak R'lap District, Darlak bearing both Central Asian polished. Quynh Van pottery was of Province, a stone axe workshop site characteristics and a Dongsonian the pointed bottom type.