The Vuon Chuoi Complex of sites located in Lai Xa village in Central Hanoi is an important site for the prehistory of the Red River Delta as it reveals evidence of residence and burials from the pre-Dong Son (Dong Dau and Go Mun) and Dong Son cultures, from 3,500-2,000 BP. In this SPAFA SESH, Prof. Lâm Thị Mỹ Dung of the Department of Archaeology of the Viet Nam University University of Social Sciences and Humanities speaks about the archaeological significance of the site as she had recently completed an excavation season there in collaboration with the Viet Nam Institute of Archaeology and the Hanoi Department of Culture. The purpose of the excavation is to assess the extent of the site in the wake of the impending development and road construction in the area.
Vuon Chuoi has been investigated by archaeologists since 1969 and a 1,500-year-old sequence of habitation and use has been identified: bronze implements, polished stone tools and ornaments, pottery, and even wood artefacts from the Go Mun period. The richness of the archaeological deposits give an idea of site development and evolution, as well as short- and long-distance exchange relationships. Lai Xia Village is already famous for its photography museum; Prof Lam and her colleagues hope that this current study of Vuon Chuoi will help the local community and authorities find ways to preserve the site and adapt it for community education while the area becomes more urbanised.
Further readings:
- You can view a copy of Prof Lam’s slides from this SPAFA SESH here.
- Di chỉ Vườn Chuối (Vuon Chuoi Facebook Page)
- Bảo tàng Nhiếp ảnh Lai Xá (Lai Xia Photography Museum)
- Bảo tàng Nhân học (Vietnam Museum of Anthropology)
- SPAFA Journal Article: Challenges of Vietnamese archaeological heritage management: A Case Study of the Vuon Chuoi site, Hoai Duc, Hanoi | Những thách thức trong quản lý di sản khảo cổ học ở Việt Nam: nghiên cứu từ trường hợp di chỉ khảo cổ học Vườn Chuối, Hoài Đức, Hà Nội
If you watched the SPAFA SESH ‘Archaeology of the Vuon Chuoi (Banana Garden) Complex, Hanoi’, please complete the questionnaire (approximately 5 minutes) to help us improve future SPAFA SESHes: http://bit.ly/Evaluation-Form-SPAFA-SESH5-Vuon-Chuoi-VN
Date: 18 September 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m. (Vietnam and Bangkok time)
Online Platform: Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/seameo.spafa/ and on Zoom (Please register for Zoom link)
Since 1969, Archaeological relics have been discovered and researched at the Vuon Chuoi Complex of sites in the Hoai Duc District of Hanoi. So far, the results have indicated that Vuon Chuoi is a residence-burial complex developed continuously through the Dong Dau – Go Mun periods – Dong Son periods, from 3500 to 2000 BP. During 2019 and 2020, the Institute of Archaeology, Hanoi Department of Culture and Department of Archaeology and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Viet Nam University conducted the excavations at the site for evaluation of its values for making a preservation plan. Join Professor Lam Thi My Dung and her team to understand why Vuon Chuoi is an important site for the prehistory of the Red River Delta of Northern Vietnam.
Moderator:
Dr Noel H. Tan, SEAMEO SPAFA Senior Specialist in Archaeology
[Discussion will be conducted in English]
