Workshop proposes Oc Eo culture seeking UNESCO heritage title

Hanoi (VNA) – Vestiges of Oc Eo culture in Ba The mountain in An Giang and Nen Chua in Kien Giang in the country’s southern region were proposed to seek UNESCO’s recognition as a world cultural heritage, heard a workshop in Hanoi on April 25.

The workshop was held by the Vietnam Academy of Social Science (VASS) to review studies on different aspects of Oc Eo culture since it was discovered seven decades ago.

Speaking at the event, VASS President Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan said Oc Eo is a centuries-old culture in southern Vietnam.

Remains of the culture have been found in a vast area, including most of the Mekong Delta and the south of the Central Highlands (Cat Tien in Lam Dong province), he noted.

During the event, scholars explored values of the Oc Eo culture relics in Ba The mountain and Nen Chua and proposed to formulate a plan for the preservation of the area and develop a nomination dossier to earn a UNESCO-recognised heritage title for the Oc Eo culture space in Ba The and Nen Chua.

Flourishing between the first and the seventh century, Phu Nam Kingdom covered a large area of the southern plain and hosted the Oc Eo culture in An Giang province. After being forgotten and buried for thousands of years, traces of the Oc Eo culture were discovered in Ba The – Oc Eo area in An Giang.

In 1944, French archaeologist Louis Mallecet carried out excavations at the site, along with his colleagues from the French School of the Far East. They unearthed objects offering proof of a flourishing civilization and well-developed trade with other areas in Southeast Asia.

People in the civilization produced many handicrafts, including ceramics, as well as had the ability to refine copper, iron and tin, along with creating silver and gold jewellery.-VNA