VNExpress-Oct 20
Archaeologists have unearthed over 100 ancient graves, dating back 2,500 to 4,000 years, at the Vuon Chuoi archaeological site in Hanoi’s Hoai Duc District, providing insights into early Vietnamese civilization. An excavation team from the Vietnam Institute of Archeology, Hanoi Museum, and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi, recently announced the discovery of more than 70 pre-Dong Son burials (approximately 4,000 years old) and 40 Dong Son burials (around 2,500 years old) at the site in Kim Chung Commune, Hoai Duc District.
The excavation, conducted from late March until early this month, covered an area of over 6,000 square meters with 60 research pits, each measuring 100 square meters.
Archaeological findings suggest that Vuon Chuoi was a village settled and dominated by people from the Metal Age, which began about 6,000 years ago. During this period, people started using metals like copper, tin, bronze, and iron to craft tools and weapons. The village continuously developed from the late Phung Nguyen period (about 4,000 years ago) through the post-Dong Son period. The findings also indicate early human presence in the Hanoi area, confirming the indigenous origins and deep history of the Vietnamese ethnic groups dating back to prehistoric times. Professor Dr. Lam Thi My Dung, from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and a member of the team, noted that while isolated graves had been found in residential areas before, this is the first discovery of a distinct cemetery from the pre-Dong Son period. Additionally, archaeologists discovered house posts, suggesting the Dong Son people may have lived in longhouses, similar to those still used by certain ethnic groups in central Vietnam. First discovered in 1969, the Vuon Chuoi site has undergone 11 excavation phases. Archaeologists regard it as a rare and valuable site from the Metal Age in northern Vietnam. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/4-000-year-old-cemetery-unearthed-in-hanoi-4806529.html
