The northern province of Bac Ninh has discovered a stone stele dating back to 314 – 450 AD, which is considered the oldest of its kind in Vietnam.

Found in Thanh Khuong commune, Thuan Thanh district, the stele was broken into two parts, which experts say may be caused by the impacts of bombings during wartime.

According to Director of the provincial museum Le Viet Nga, the antiquity’s body is approximately two metres high, one metre wide and 15 centimetres thick. Its base is 30 centimetres high and 1.36 metres long.

The stele contains 300 readable characters written in different styles on each side. The two sides include characters indicating the years 314 and 450 AD.

In 2012, a stele dating back to 601 AD was also discovered in Bac Ninh and believed to be the oldest one at that time.-VNA