VHO - On September 30, in An Giang province, the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board organized a scientific workshop with the theme: "Oc Eo culture - Historical levels and shaping of the traditional culture of Oc Eo in the South".
Strive to complete the dossier and submit it to UNESCO by 2026
Speaking at the opening of the Workshop, Mr. Nguyen Huu Gieng - Director of the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board, Head of the Organizing Committee reviewed the history of excavation of the Oc Eo archaeological site.
Accordingly, in the spring of 1944, Louis Malleret - a French scholar came here to advocate excavating an archaeological site on the field to the east of Ba The mountain. That location is now Oc Eo town, Thoai Son district, An Giang province.
With the important results of this first archaeological excavation, he named the excavated mound Oc Eo Mound, from which it spread throughout Southern Vietnam and the world, about an ancient Oc Eo culture, belonging to the Kingdom of Phu Nam, which existed and disappeared in Southeast Asia from the first to the seventh century.
Over the past 80 years, the Oc Eo culture in the Mekong Delta and Southern Vietnam has continuously developed through domestic and international archaeological activities.
Since the country's reunification in 1975, there have been dozens of archaeological excavations in An Giang province alone, the most recent of which was from 2017-2020.
Accordingly, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences organized the largest archaeological excavation at the Oc Eo - Ba The National Special Relic Site, with the largest number of leading archeological experts and professors and the largest funding source for Oc Eo culture.
The results of this archaeological excavation have obtained many new values in relics and artifacts, adding many important scientific arguments, contributing to the preservation and construction of the world cultural heritage dossier for the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site.
“The 80-year history of Oc Eo culture in An Giang, especially since the Oc Eo Cultural Relic Management Board was established by the An Giang Provincial People's Committee on May 20, 2013. Since then, Oc Eo Culture in An Giang, together with the South and the whole country, has increased many activities, typically preserving and promoting the value of the relic, bringing about important results,” Mr. Nguyen Huu Gieng emphasized.
In particular, up to now, the world cultural heritage dossier for the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site has completed phase 1. The investor is urgently completing the procedural documents, to organize a public bidding, select a contractor to prepare the nomination dossier and management plan for the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site, and submit it to UNESCO for recognition as a world cultural heritage.
According to the roadmap, An Giang province is striving to complete the entire dossier and submit it to UNESCO by 2026.
Proposal to make February 10th the Traditional Day of Southern Oc Eo Culture
At the workshop, scholars, managers and scientists discussed many important contents: New studies on Oc Eo culture; preserving and promoting the value of Oc Eo cultural heritage and creating many tourism products from Oc Eo culture, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province...
Through exchanging and announcing research results, delegates discussed, supplemented and clarified the integrity, authenticity and outstanding global value of the Oc Eo - Ba The archaeological site.
Solutions and techniques for preserving ceramics, preserving organic artifacts (especially wooden artifacts); solutions to turn Oc Eo cultural relics and artifacts into tourism products, to attract visitors, contributing to the economic and social development of the province in the coming time...
Some of the authors' papers have clarified the life of the Oc Eo Culture residents through artifacts and discoveries such as gold leaf collections at Da Noi, medal - jewelry collections, pottery, wooden and bone artifacts excavated and discovered at the ancient Kinh relics (Lung Lon, Oc Eo - Ba The).
The cultural relationship between Oc Eo relic sites and Cat Tien National Park (Lam Dong) has also been clarified by some authors through comparative studies of gold leaf collections as well as the relationship with regional cultures and Indian civilization.
The management, preservation and promotion of cultural heritage values is an important task today in the context of being affected by many impacts of socio-economic development.
Opinions from experts and managers have shown that the current conservation activities of Oc Eo cultural heritage face many challenges, including negative impacts on archaeological relics and artifacts.
Delegates also shared experiences and proposed ideas in the management and conservation of relics. Many solutions applying modern technology were also suggested to be put into practice in the work of promoting and communicating the Oc Eo Cultural Heritage.
Oc Eo - Ba The Archaeological Site is a location that many experts in the tourism field assess as having great potential to develop into tourism products, especially archaeological tourism...
Over the past 80 years, since the French archaeologist Louis Malleret discovered, organized archaeological excavations and named the first Oc Eo culture in the South, there has been no traditional day yet.
At the Conference, many presentations acknowledged the contributions of Louis Malleret and many generations of Vietnamese scientists to the history of research on Oc Eo Culture.
Some authors have also proposed to take February 10 (February 10, 1944, Louis Mallaret carried out the first archaeological excavation program of Oc Eo Cultural relics) every year as the Traditional Day of Southern Oc Eo Culture.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/van-hoa-oc-eo-khong-ngung-phat-trien-thong-qua-cac-hoat-dong-khao-co-hoc-trong-nuoc-va-quoc-te-106829.html
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