ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION IN THE WEST OF VUON CHUOI MOUND, LAI XA VILLAGE, KIM CHUNG COMMUNE, HOAI DUC DISTRICT
Implementing Decision No. 520/QD-BVHTTDL dated March 6, 2024 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Document No. 938/SVHTT-QLDSVH dated March 12, 2024 of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports on archaeological excavations in the West of Vuon Chuoi (banana garden) mound, Lai Xa village, Kim Chung commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi.
On the morning of March 19, 2024, representatives of the Hanoi Museum, the Institute of Archeology and the People's Committee of Hoai Duc district held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project to excavate and relocate the Vuon Chuoi archaeological site within the scope of the project: Construction of Ring Road 3.5.
According to Decision No. 520/QD-BVHTTDL dated March 6, 2024, the excavation, which covers an area of 6,000m2 and includes 60 pits, each with an area of 100m2 (10x10m), was opened in the form of a checkerboard to the west of Vuon Chuoi mound. The excavation took 330 days (from March 19, 2024). The excavation depth ranged from 1.5m to over 3m. Carry out the 3D digitization (scan) process and build a digital database of excavated and researched areas.
Before starting the excavation work, protecting the construction site, cleaning the environment of the archaeological excavation area, ensuring safety, security and order, and preventing theft and loss of excavation equipment and artefacts prepared by the excavation team based on the approved plan. The Hanoi Museum will preserve artefacts collected during excavation to promote their value. After the excavation, the Hanoi Institute of Archeology and Hanoi Museum will organize a preliminary report, propose a plan to manage and protect the excavated area and send a scientific report to the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and the Department of Cultural Heritage.
Vuon Chuoi mound is in a field in Lai Xa village, Kim Chung commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi. It has geographical coordinates of 21o03'40'' North latitude and 105o43'499'' East longitude and an area of about 19,000m2. About 18km west of Hanoi centre, Lai Xa village, Kim Chung commune, located on Highway 32, connects Hanoi with Son Tay, a vital route in the region's socio-economic development.
Since the first discovery and excavation at the end of 1969, the Vuon Chuoi archaeological site has undergone 8 excavations. Excavation pits were dug over a reasonably large area at different locations. Hence, the excavation results have yet to allow for a complete, scientific assessment of the content and value of the scale of the relic. The results of the excavations show that Vuon Chuoi's stratigraphy is relatively stable (average thickness of 100cm), with cultural layers from Dong Dau, Go Mun, and Dong Son.
Groundbreaking ceremony and excavation site.
Ground plan of the current status of the Vuon Chuoi archaeological site and the excavation pits that were opened in previous stages.
Trần Văn Tuỳ
