Tourism potential, experience the archaeological site of Mai Da Nguom

Nguom Stone Roof has a frog-shaped shape, located on the mountainside, about 30m higher than the residential road and about 40m higher than the water level of Than Sa River. The surface area of ​​the stone roof with traces of cultural layers is nearly 1,000m ² .

To date, Nguom Stone Roof has been excavated 5 times, in 1981, 1982, 1985, 2017 and most recently in early 2024. Each excavation discovered new artifacts, surprising researchers.

Nguom Rock Roof was discovered by scientists and researchers in March 1980 with about 200 stone artifacts, including pebble tools in the form of nodules and flakes with processing marks, identified as a place where prehistoric people lived.

The first excavation in 1981 determined that Mai Da Nguom was a tool-making site – a workshop site. This is a discovery of great significance to the study of Vietnamese prehistory, regionally and globally.

During the first excavation, researchers believed that an archaeological culture called "Than Sa Culture" could be established.

The second excavation in 1982 yielded a large number of artifacts, providing valuable data for researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the fragment industry not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia. As a result of the second excavation, the scientific conference on “Than Sa Culture” held in Thai Nguyen contributed to the establishment of a separate industry, the Nguom industry.

In 1982, the Nguom Stone Roof archaeological site was ranked as a national monument.

In 2017, the Institute of Archaeology cooperated with the Department of Anthropology, Washington University (USA) to conduct the fourth excavation of Nguom Stone Roof. The excavation results contributed to a very new understanding of the presence of early residents dating back more than 41,500 years.

The 5th excavation from March to early April 2024, organized by Thai Nguyen Provincial Museum and the Institute of Archaeology, discovered the existence of cultural layers with completely different structures and colors. Cultural layer 5 is orange, dry and loose; Cultural layer 6 is more moist yellow-brown but has a loose structure containing many small limestone blocks.

In cultural layers 5 and 6, fragmentary tools, raw pebble cores, core tools, flakes, split pieces, along with animal remains, fruit seeds and a modest number of terrestrial and aquatic mollusks were discovered; especially burnt animal bones were discovered.

Director of Thai Nguyen Provincial Museum Tran Thi Nhien said: Like previous times, the 5th excavation was carried out very professionally, methodically, and carefully, bringing very new and important insights into the Mai Da Nguom archaeological site, specifically bringing new insights, making many prestigious archaeological researchers moved by the artifacts collected, determining that the age of human habitation may be much earlier than before.

“With the deep concern of the authorities at all levels and cultural agencies in the province for the archaeological site of Mai Da Nguom, in the coming time, we will continue to coordinate with scientists and researchers to consolidate related records, and have more practical solutions for long-term preservation and promotion of the value of Mai Da Nguom,” Ms. Tran Thi Nhien added.

Affirming the value of the site, key leaders of Thai Nguyen province requested the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Thai Nguyen Provincial Museum to closely coordinate with specialized agencies at the central level to continue consulting and providing advice from scientists to prepare a dossier to propose that the Nguom Stone Roof artifact be a national treasure, and to complete the dossier to propose that it be a special national historical and cultural relic.

Thai Nguyen province requested the authorities to add the master plan of this relic site to the general plan of Vo Nhai district, ensuring that the planning area is appropriate and does not affect the core and buffer zones of the relic site. In the immediate future, research and consultation with experts will be conducted to develop solutions to protect and preserve the relic site in the long term; in the long term, the Than Sa cultural space will be preserved and the value of the relic site will be promoted to attract a large number of domestic and international tourists.

Thai Nguyen Provincial Museum has a special exhibition room called “Than Sa Culture”. Although it is in a small space, simulating Nguom Rock Roof, prehistoric people’s activities, and the artifacts are at a primitive level, it has attracted many students to visit in recent times.

If the archaeological site of Mai Da Nguom is well organized, has enough information, and meets the conditions, it will be an attractive, lively tourist destination, historical, cultural, and landscape experience, not only appealing to students.

Thai Nguyen province is taking measures to preserve this particularly important archaeological site intact, while at the same time linking the national historical-cultural relic of Phuong Hoang cave, the landscape of Than Sa special-use forest, and indigenous culture to gradually exploit the tourism potential and experience of Mai Da Nguom site.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tiem-nang-du-lich-trai-nghiem-di-chi-khao-co-mai-da-nguom-post825794.html