SEAArch - The Southeast Asian Archaeology Newsblog

I’m back in Singapore for the weekend and one of the items on my to-do list was to visit the Vietnam: From Myth to Modernity exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum. When this exhibition first opened, I had only just started my stint up north, so I was glad to finally have been able to catch this exhibition before it closed at the end of this month. If you’ve been a loyal reader of this blog, you would have realised that by far, Vietnam is the most prolific country in terms of archaeological news that gets published here - this is in part because Vietnam’s archaeological heritage is quite varied and multi-layered. I haven’t visited Vietnam myself, and I reckon it’d take me at least three or four trips to see everything that I want to see. In this respect, this exhibition did quite a good job in revealing the breadth of Vietnam’s history from prehistory to modernity through the country’s artifacts. Read on to discover Vietnam’s archaeological heritage.

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Vietnam’s Institute of Archaeology is set to explore a relatively new concept in archaeological practice: community-based archaeology, which is a grassroots-centred movement to get local people interested and preserving their own past. This interview with the vice-director of the Institute of Archaeology explains further.

Residents to help dig up the past
Viet Nam News, 15 September 2008
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A 100-year-old boat discovered in May will be preserved and displayed at the Hue museum.

Ancient wooden boat to be displayed in Hue
Vietnam Net Bridge, 21 August 2008
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Viet Nam News talks about the impending submission of the Thang Long citadel in Ha Noi to UNESCO for inscription as a world heritage site.

Relic makes case for world status
Viet Nam News, 14 August 2008
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The Vietnamese government has completed its documentation of the ancient capital of Thang Long (Ha Noi), required for submission to UNESCO for World Heritage consideration.

Royal citadel’s file completed for UNESCO recognition
Nhan Dan, 11 August 2008

Thang Long citadel closes in on UNESCO recognition
Viet Nam News, 11 August 2008
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Over 200 prehistoric tombs associated with the Sa Huynh culture (1000 BC - 200 AD) were discovered in the central province of Thua Thian-Hue.

Over 200 ancient tombs found in Thua Thien-Hue
Nhan Dan, 01 August 2008
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With the help of a US$30,000 grant from the US, the Nam Dinh museum will be able to restore a set of religious artefacts from the 17th - 19th centuries.

US helps Nam Dinh museum preserve religious antiques
Nhan Dan, 31 July 2008
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