Vietnamese authorities assessed ancient boats discovered in Bac Ninh Province as unique in the world, according to VietnamPlus. Archaeologists confirmed that many burn marks appeared on the hull of the ancient boats discovered at a fish pond in Bac Ninh City, which may indicate signs of fire damage.
From March 3 to April 3, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Bac Ninh Province coordinated with the Archaeology Institute under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences to conduct an emergency excavation of the remains of two ancient ships. The wooden boats were assessed to be a type of twin-hulled boat designed to carry goods.
The excavation area covered 300 square meters, and findings show that the exposed relics consist of two intact blocks located 2.3 meters apart. The exposed parts of the ancient boats are the hulls, functioning as two floats that support the entire structure above. The boats feature construction that can withstand force and water. The two hulls are divided into six compartments, with planks connected from the bottom to the upper edge of the sides.
Experts note that the first and last compartments are the most complex, featuring horizontal and vertical beams that provide stability for the entire boat. The hulls of the ships are made from seven to eight layers of planks, each plank measuring 22 to 34 centimeters wide and an average thickness of 4.5 centimeters. The stern has structures believed to be where the rudder was attached, and there is a plank with holes and a wooden beam running through it. At the bow and stern, the connection between the hollowed-out bottom part and the side planks is tightly locked together and fixed by four wooden pillars of similar dimensions, 5 by 5 centimeters.
Archaeological experts assessed that the vessel is a type of twin-hulled boat, and assessments suggested that it may have been designed to carry goods. “This shipbuilding technique is considered unprecedented, having never been recorded before in Vietnam or worldwide,” experts stated. Based on the boatbuilding techniques, it shows that the type of boat is of early age, continuing the shipbuilding techniques of the Dong Son culture. There are opinions that the boat dates from the 11th century to the 14th century, during the Ly and Tran dynasties, and cannot be later than the 15th century.
The bottom of the boats was hollowed from a single tree trunk, with the largest diameter approximately 0.95 meters, as evidenced by comparing the bottoms of the two hulls with the solid bottom structure and the joint technique. The upper structure of the ancient boats was lost, possibly due to being disassembled.
Based on the current state of the exposed relics, the Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism proposed that the provincial People's Committee allow the preservation of the relics in their original state on-site, with a temporary plan to cover them with sand for protection. They proposed implementing a temporary plan to cover the exposed state with soil and sand excavated from the relics, and then tarpaulins will be used to cover the entire excavation area, establishing a protective fence as part of an urgent plan to preserve the relics from natural and social impacts.
During land reclamation for fish farming in Cong Ha neighborhood, Ha Man ward, Thuan Thanh town, a local resident discovered two ancient wooden boats. The location of the ancient ships is on the Dau River, close to the western bank of the ancient capital of Luy Lau, approximately one kilometer from Luy Lau Citadel. Each hull of the ancient ship is over 16 meters long, 1.95 to 2.2 meters wide, and has a maximum depth of about 2.15 meters.
So far, there were no results from carbon-14 dating tests to determine the age of the boats. After the initial excavation, experts continued to excavate and study to determine the time period when the ships appeared. Experts aimed to assess the type of wood used to build the ships and research plans for relocating them after the excavation was completed.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.