After consecutive floods from late October to early November, large waves hit the coast, causing the ancient ship's remains discovered in the Cua Dai coastal area (Hoi An Tay ward, Da Nang city) to continue to appear more clearly on the sand, attracting the attention of people and heritage researchers.
On the morning of November 8, Mr. Bui Van Dung - Chairman of Hoi An Tay Ward People's Committee - said that the authorities are protecting the site where the ancient ship was discovered, while propagating and disseminating legal regulations on protecting underwater cultural heritage for people to join hands to preserve.
"We have put up warning signs, deployed regular security forces and coordinated with specialized agencies to monitor the ship's condition. The goal is to prevent curious people from encroaching on this sensitive area," said Mr. Dung.
At the scene, after many days of heavy rain and strong winds, the wooden sides of the boat have risen more clearly than before. The discovered area is within the scope of the Cua Dai coastal emergency anti-erosion embankment project, in Thinh My block (now Hoi An Tay ward).
Previously, in December 2023, when constructing the embankment, people discovered a series of wooden piles rising from the sandbank. The authorities of Hoi An City (old) have coordinated to collect carbon athletes (C14) to determine the date, initially assessing that this could be a traditional East Sea-style merchant ship - a type of ship that was popular in trade in Southeast Asia and China from the 14th to the 16th centuries.
By January 2024, due to the impact of high tides and bad weather, this area was re-flooded, causing the ship to almost disappear under the sand until now.
According to the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Conservation Management, although the absolute age has not been determined using the C14 method, based on the location of the discovery - once located deep inland, along with similarities in structure, shipbuilding techniques and materials with traditional sunken ships in the Southeast Asian sea area, it is likely that the ship in the Cua Dai sea date from the mid to late 14th - 16th centuries.
The existence of the Cam An ship is a vivid testament to the vibrant maritime history of the Hoi An area before trading with the West. This is an extremely rare "treasure" of ancient ships, preserved relatively intact - not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia and East Asia," said the Center representative.
Previously, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the old Quang Nam province assigned Hoi An City to prepare a plan to dig up the area of the ancient ship Cam An. However, due to weather conditions and specific technical factors, the excavation is being carefully considered, only carried out when fully ensuring safety and expertise conditions.
