The Tuan Quan archaeological site is located in Yen Ninh ward in Yen Bai city with twosmaller sites of Tuan Quan No. 1 and No. 2.
It was discovered in 2001. The TuanQuan No.1 relic site was surveyed in 2018 and excavated for the first time in 2019, whilethe Tuan Quan No. 2 site has been explored since 2002.
During the digging at the Tuan Quan No.1 site, archaeologistsdiscovered a large number of stone tools of different kinds and shapes, which helped themconfirm that the site was built about 11,000 years ago during the Hoa Binhculture. A small number of prehistoric ceramic pieces as well as Vietnamese andChinese pottery pieces were also found at the site, along with bronze coinsbelonging to the Nguyen Dynasty. The pottery pieces are thought to date back to Dong Dau - Go Mun cultures.
At the Tuan Quan No. 2 site, archaeologists discovereda number of pieces of tiles, bricks, pottery, and glazed terra-cotta dating back to the Le andNguyen Dynasties (17th - 18th centuries). They also found two relativelycomplete kilns at a depth of 1.4m.
Ly Kim Khoa, Vice Director of Yen Bai Museumwho directs the excavation of the Tuan Quan No. 2 site, said that the kilns arelike those made in late Le Dynasty or early Nguyen Dynasty (17th - 18thcenturies).
Meanwhile, Dr Pham Thanh Son from the Instituteof Archaeology, held that the Tuan Quan No. 1 site may date back to 10,000 -15,000years ago, with high archaeological values.
An archaeological report in early July 2021 alsoconfirmed that Tuan Quan is an extremely precious relic site in the system of prehistoricarchaeological sites in Vietnam, which plays a very important role in theexploration of the origin of Son Vi- Hoa Binh Culture in Vietnam and SoutheastAsia./.