Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi’s Culture and SportsDepartment has sent a letter urging the municipal People’s Committee topreserve an archaeological site dating back to 1,000 BC in the city’s westernoutskirts.

The letter quotes recent media coverage saying the “earliestresidents area [named Vuon Chuoi in Lai Xa village, Kim Chung commune, Hoai Ducdistrict] of the city are on the verge of being erased”.

The dispatch also mentions Prof Nguyen Van Huy’s opinion onthe site. Huy is the former director of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. Theletter asks: “the authorities should take urgent actions to protect the site”.

The archaeological site is of Dong Dau culture, from about3,000 years ago, and was first excavated in 1969. Since then, the site has beenexcavated several times, the most recent in December 2013 by the department incoordination with the Hanoi Social Sciences and Humanity University.

The objects found through excavations include stone, bronzeand ceramic objects of Dong Dau culture.

Dong Dau culture is one among four periods of Dong Son civilisation– from the early stages of the Bronze Age to the early stages of Metal Age. DongDau culture dates back to 1,500-1,000 BC.

Traces of the culture have been found in the northern midlandregion. Sites in Hanoi include Thanh Den site (Me Linh district) and ChangCommunal House (Dong Anh district).

Officials from the department on December 5 examined the sitewith representatives of Hoai Duc district’s People’s Committee.

At present, the whole Vuon Chuoi site is located in a ThangLong 9 Construction Company-invested urban building project.

No buildings have been constructed as yet and some familiesare growing vegetables on the project’s area. Near the site, some enterpriseshave dumped industrial and construction waste.

The department asked the Hanoi People’s Committee to sendletters to ask the Project Management Board of Thang Long 9 ConstructionCompany and the Vietnam Joint-Stock Trading and Construction Cooperation toimplement proper measurements to protect the excavation site until the HanoiPeople’s Committee issues a final decision on the site. 

During the construction process, if workers find antiques,they should hand the objects to Hoai Duc district’s People’s Committee.

The building investors should work with local authorities topropose solutions to protect the site.

Local authorities will also tightly control the renovationand building process around the site to gather antiques if any were unearthed.

The department also asked the city’s authorities to organisegathering of materials on the exactions, and hold examinations by experts andworkshops to judge their value and propose protection methods for the site.-VNA