Concerns about Vac village antiques

(Baonghean) -Vac village antiques are ancient artifacts dating back to the Dong Son culture period, excavated from burial tombs in the Vac village relic site, Nghia Hoa commune, Thai Hoa town today. To protect these historical values, the cooperation of all levels of government, departments and people is needed.

In 1972, the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology excavated the Vac village site on an area of ​​3 hectares. Up to now, after 5 excavations, the Vac village site has been identified as the site where the most burials have been discovered among dozens of Dong Son culture archaeological sites in our country. At 347 burials, 1,228 artifacts have been discovered, including many valuable artifacts such as bronze drums, axes, daggers with handles of female statues, bronze daggers with handles of male statues, daggers with handles shaped like snakes wrapped around elephant legs, leg covers with bells, various types of jewelry made of stone and glass, various types of molds, pieces of rice husks and even crossbow triggers and bronze arrows printed exactly like those in Co Loa in Dong Anh district (Hanoi). The artifacts all date back to the 3rd century BC.

Antiques gallery at Lang Vac Temple.

The artifacts excavated at the Vac village site are all very beautiful and diverse, with 665 bronze objects alone. In addition to the bronze drums that have become very famous, the daggers with animal handles, such as two tigers holding an elephant with their front legs or two snakes intertwined with each other supporting an elephant, with the elephant's back having a girth... are very unique and can only be found in Vac village. With the artifacts discovered, in 1999, Vac village was recognized as a National Archaeological Site...

Mr. Le Van Thai - a member of the Vac village temple management board, recounted a sad story that appeared here after the site was recognized: “When the Vac village site became famous far and wide with many valuable artifacts that were highly appreciated compared to the level of civilization throughout Southeast Asia at that time, it was also the time when antique collectors and dealers from everywhere came to buy the artifacts that the local people found during their cultivation. Many beautiful and valuable artifacts such as bronze drums were gone and never returned. Not only that, antique hunters also incited the local people to dig for artifacts by declaring their willingness to buy them at high prices.”

Bronze drum and ancient dagger collection in Lang Vac

Within 7 years (from 1999 to 2006), the Vac village site was devastated on a large scale. In Vac village and the surrounding hills, it was impossible to count how much rubber forest area was destroyed, how many deep holes were formed and how many tombs were destroyed. The antiquities diggers were active at midnight, ready to injure those who tried to stop them. A very sophisticated antiquities trading network was formed here... Mr. To Thanh Son, Head of the Department of Culture and Information, Thai Hoa Town, recalled: "This situation only ended when Nghe An province directed Nghia Dan district and the provincial police to increase patrols, arrest and strictly handle illegal diggers. Up to now, order and safety have been ensured... But saying so does not mean that the "bleeding" of antiquities has stopped. Up to now, antiquities from Vac village are still being sought after by antique hunters.

Since 1999, after being recognized and granted a certificate of National Archaeological Site, Vac Village Festival has been organized by all levels and sectors, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country to perform the ceremony. This is a festival that shows the filial piety of the descendants of Lac Viet remembering their ancestors who have contributed to the discovery, construction and protection of the country. At the same time, the Party Committee and the Government of Thai Hoa Town decided to build a stele house of Vac Village Cultural Site and a spiritual temple to worship the sacred ancestors of Vac Village to meet the people's earnest wishes and aspirations. Organizing the festival as well as building a temple, in addition to its religious and spiritual effects, also has the effect of protecting the relics and current state of Vac Village artifacts.

On the basis of this festival, Thai Hoa Town and Nghia Hoa Commune have mobilized people to donate artifacts and antiquities originating from the Vac Village Archaeological Site to the artifact exhibition room in the temple grounds for visitors. Ms. Thai Thi Yen, a member of the Vac Village Temple Management Board - who has made great contributions in mobilizing people to donate antiquities, said: Currently, the temple's exhibition room has 89 antiquities including axe blades, knife blades, bronze bowls; porcelain bowls, bracelets, anklets. Notably, among them, there are many artifacts that are determined to be over 3,000 years old... However, the vast majority of these antiquities are no longer intact. There are still many more beautiful objects among the people, but only on the festival day can the Management Board borrow them to display.

Talking with Mr. To Thanh Son, Head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Hoa Town, it is known that: The Town is working with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to research the promotion of the Hung King's belief values ​​in Vac village. With this approach, it is hoped that the values ​​of Vac village will be better preserved and embellished... Losing the Vac village's antiquities means that future generations will forever lose the opportunity to learn about their ancestors' history. To preserve the Vac village's antiquities, it is thought that people should be aware of this to join hands to protect the Vac village site, especially to protect the remaining antiquities.

Article and photos: Thanh Chung