Scientific conference "Dong Son Culture"

The scientific conference "Dong Son Culture - 100 Years of Discovery, Preservation and Promotion of Values" is urgent and has practical significance in supplementing valid scientific arguments to affirm the position, role, and important historical significance of the Dong Son Culture in the overall history of the nation and for Thanh Hoa province in particular over the past 100 years.

Overview of the conference.

On the morning of August 9th, the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province organized a scientific seminar titled "Dong Son Culture - 100 Years of Discovery, Preservation and Promotion of Its Values".

The delegates attending the workshop.

Attending the workshop were Comrade Dau Thanh Tung, Provincial Party Committee member and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; leaders from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Thanh Hoa City, the Institute of Archaeology, the National Council of Cultural Heritage, the Vietnam Archaeological Association; various departments, agencies, and localities in the province; universities, researchers, and scientists from the central and local levels.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Dau Thanh Tung, delivered the opening remarks at the workshop.

In his opening remarks at the workshop, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Dau Thanh Tung emphasized that Thanh Hoa province is a land that retains many profound historical and cultural imprints. The first excavation related to the Dong Son culture was carried out in 1924 in Thanh Hoa province by a Frenchman. It wasn't until 1929 that the excavation results were published in a report by V. Golonbew in the Far East Antiquities Journal, volume 29 - The Bronze Age in Tonkin and the northern part of Central Vietnam. In 1934, this great culture was officially named the Dong Son culture.

The Dong Son culture is a source of pride for Vietnam in general and Thanh Hoa province in particular. The issue of managing, preserving the past, present, and future, and promoting the value of Dong Son cultural relics in Thanh Hoa is of urgent importance. From 1960 to the present, Thanh Hoa province, in coordination with the Institute of Archaeology, the Vietnam National Museum of History, Hanoi University (now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities), and relevant research agencies at the central and provincial/city levels nationwide, has conducted numerous archaeological studies, explorations, and excavations. These efforts have resulted in the discovery of over 120 sites and nearly 300 bronze drum relics, the largest number among all provinces and cities in the country.

The delegates attending the workshop.

The most typical example is the Dong Son archaeological site in Dong Son village (Ham Rong ward, Thanh Hoa city) - a representative site reflecting the continuous development from the pre-Dong Son period to the Iron Age - that is, throughout the entire period of nation-building by our ancestors. Within the stratigraphic layers of the excavation pits, the bronze production tools, weapons, etc., are typical artifacts of an archaeological culture belonging to the early Iron Age.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee affirmed that the scientific conference "Dong Son Culture - 100 Years of Discovery, Preservation and Promotion of Values" is an urgent and practical scientific activity in supplementing valid scientific arguments to affirm the position, role, and important historical significance of the Dong Son Culture in the overall history of the nation and of Thanh Hoa province in particular over the past 100 years. From there, it helps generations, especially the younger generation in Thanh Hoa, to gain a deeper understanding and pride in the traditions, history, and culture of their homeland and country.

The workshop had a positive impact, effectively serving the conservation and promotion of Vietnamese cultural heritage, particularly the cultural heritage of Thanh Hoa province; promoting the image of cultural heritage and boosting the development of tourism, services, and socio-economic sectors; making a significant contribution to the comprehensive development of Thanh Hoa's culture and people, becoming an intrinsic driving force and strength to promote rapid and sustainable development, and soon becoming a prosperous, beautiful, civilized, and modern province, a comprehensively developed and "model" province of the whole country.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Khac Su delivered a speech at the conference.

Following the opening ceremony, delegates and scientists discussed the fundamental achievements and prospects of 100 years of discovery and research on the Dong Son culture; pre-Dong Son and Dong Son sites in the Ma River basin; the living environment of ancient Vietnamese people through the study of Dong Son cultural sites in the Ma River basin; ancient Vietnamese people during the Dong Son period through anthropological research; the Dong Son culture and the early state; the imprint of the Dong Son culture in Southern Vietnam; and the Dong Son culture from the perspective of special national historical sites.

At the same time, some delegates proposed solutions for preserving and protecting the Dong Son archaeological site; suggested that Thanh Hoa province should complete the dossier proposing the recognition of the Dong Son archaeological site in Thanh Hoa as a special national monument; build a Dong Son Culture Museum in Thanh Hoa; and implement programs for investigation, research, and workshops on Dong Son Culture. This is of great importance for affirming the origin and value of Dong Son Culture and the Dong Son archaeological site in the process of formation and development of Vietnamese culture, as well as for the preservation, promotion, and enhancement of the value of the Dong Son archaeological site and Dong Son Culture in the future.

Thuy Linh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hoi-thao-khoa-hoc-van-hoa-dong-son-100-nam-phat-hien-bao-ton-va-phat-huy-gia-tri-221641.htm