The Lang Vac archaeological site in Nghe An: Historical and cultural values.

At the workshop, presentations by scientists and researchers clarified the achievements, research plans, and excavation of the Lang Vac site; the outstanding historical and cultural value of the site; the position of Lang Vac in the regional historical and cultural context; and the relationship and position of Lang Vac during the Hung King era of nation-building.

In addition, the presentations also highlighted the current situation and limitations in promoting the value of historical relics, their causes, lessons learned; potential, opportunities, challenges, and solutions for protecting, preserving, and promoting the value of historical relics in the context of current socio-economic development.

Professor Hoang Anh Tuan, Vice Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, stated that Nghe An province has numerous archaeological sites from the Metal Age; among them, the Lang Vac archaeological site is the center of the Dong Son culture in the semi-mountainous region of Thai Hoa town, Nghe An province.

To date, Lang Vac is one of the two representative Dong Son relic sites, possessing a rich collection of artifacts of various types. It is the site with the highest number of burial sites of the Dong Son culture discovered in Vietnam (including 300 tombs discovered through 5 exploration and excavation campaigns).

Lang Vac became the name of a major Dong Son cultural center in the Ca River basin, with over 1,200 rich and diverse artifacts made of bronze, pottery, stone, glass, and iron, such as bronze drums, slanted axes, and daggers with human-shaped handles…

According to archaeological experts, Lang Vac village can be compared to famous Dong Son culture sites in the Red River basin such as Vinh Quang, Lang Ca...

Presenting her paper "The Position of Lang Vac Village in the Prehistoric Development of the Lam/Ca River Basin," Professor Lam Thi My Dung, Head of the Archaeology Department, Faculty of History, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, affirmed that Lang Vac Village is the most important Dong Son cultural site in the Ca River basin. Lang Vac Village also represents the Ca River type, sometimes referred to as the Lang Vac type.

The Lang Vac archaeological site is identified as comprising two areas: a residential area (Lang Vac) and a burial ground (Dinh hamlet), located to the east and west of the Khe Vac valley. The residential area is situated to the west of the Khe Vac valley, while the burial ground is on the eastern edge. The tombs are located on a hill, on a low edge next to what are now rice fields. Lang Vac is a complex of residential and burial sites dating back several hundred years.

At Lang Vac, excavators also identified a layer of Son Vi culture from the lower layer in the eastern excavation area in 1990. The Lang Vac valley has several other sites containing Son Vi stone artifacts. Thus, the presence of Son Vi culture inhabitants from the late Paleolithic period here is undeniable.

Professor Lam Thi My Dung believes that, under current socio-economic development conditions, like many other archaeological heritage sites, the Lang Vac site is being affected by many objective and subjective factors. In particular, there has been no research assessing the condition of the site, the remaining reserves, and the existing and potential risks…

Concluding the workshop, Director of the Nghe An Department of Culture and Sports Tran Thi My Hanh affirmed that the workshop had provided a profound assessment of the unique and outstanding cultural value of the Lang Vac historical site.

Lang Vac was a fairly large economic and political center during the Hung King era. The unique culture of Lang Vac has contributed to affirming that ancient Vietnamese civilization of the Hung King era existed not only in the Red River and Ma River regions but also in the Lam River region.

Notably, even after the Western Han dynasty imposed its rule on Vietnam, Lang Vac remained a Dong Son cultural site of the Vietnamese people, with artifacts such as bronze drums, weapons, and daggers contributing to the development of Lac Viet culture, remaining unaffected and unassimilated. The Lang Vac site also affirms its connection with the cultures of other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and China.

Looking ahead, to protect and promote the Lang Vac relic site, the Director of the Nghe An Department of Culture and Sports believes it is necessary to continue coordinating with domestic and foreign research agencies to explore, excavate, and conduct archaeological research to fully identify the relic site; and to research, compile, and publish specialized works introducing the Lang Vac archaeological site.

In addition, it is necessary to demarcate areas for the protection of the current planning status, strengthen propaganda and promotion of the Lang Vac historical site; and develop unique tourism products for sightseeing and experiences associated with the development of ecotourism, traditional craft villages, and historical sites in the surrounding area.