At the excavation site (Photo: VNA)Quang Ngai (VNA) – The excavation of an ancient shipwreck discovered inBinh Son district, in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai, began on July9.
The work covers an area of 800sq.m in Hao Hung port where the ship was foundduring a dredging project near the Dung Quat economic zone in 2017.
The process, which is projected to last until September 15, is said to costover 48 billion VND (2.06 million USD) from the State budget.
The vessel is about 30m long and 10m wide, containing ceramic items, many ofwhich can be traced back to the Chinese Ming dynasty in the 16th century. It is located at a depth of 9 metres, and 6-7 metres from the shore.
The excavated objects will be preserved at Quang Ngai province’s museum, whilethe national museum and the provincial culture department will be responsiblefor sending a report to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
This is the seventh shipwreck discovered and excavated in Vietnam and the firstwithout the support of foreign experts or private firms.
According to Duong Trung Quoc, Secretary of the Vietnam Association of HistoricalSciences, the excavation drew great attention from the Government, and it issignificant to the story of historical preservation in the country.
Quang Ngai province’s coastal waters are nicknamed “the cemetery of ancientships” due to the high number of shipwrecks discovered there.
Archaeologists believe that many of these ships may have been set on fireeither accidentally by sailors or deliberately by pirates. -VNA
VNA
