The discovery of two immaculately well-preserved boats in Vietnam is expected to reveal previously unknown secrets of the country’s vast ancient trade routes.
The boats were found last December by local resident Nguyen Van Chien while he was dredging the pond on his family’s Cong Ha property. From March 3 until April 3 of this year, an excavation was conducted on behalf of Bac Ninh’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology.
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Researchers revealed two separate hulls, each measuring 52 feet in length. Each of the hulls was constructed with six individual sections fortified with between seven and eight sections of plank as well as wooden pillars and beams. The bottom sections of the craft were made from hollowed-out tree trunks. Of particular note was a single beam which connected the two hulls at the bow, a design technique which is particular only to Vietnam. Researchers believe the vessel was a twin-hulled boat used for trading goods between inland waterways throughout the country.
The discovery was made near Luy Lau, which is one of Vietnam’s most well-known archaeological sites. Researchers believe that the site may have been used as a dock for merchant vessels or possibly even a shipbuilding operation somewhere between 700 and 1,000 years ago. They’re currently analyzing items found in the ships’ compartments, including plant seeds and other “organic matter,” with the hopes of learning more about the specific cargo the vessels held.
Thanh Cong/Vietnam Institute of Archaeology