The one who decodes thousands of years of mysteries

Diving through the forest to the sea

In 2023, Quang Ngai will hold a ceremony to announce and receive the certificate of ranking as a special national relic of Sa Huynh culture, one of three civilization centers in the metal age of Vietnam. Sa Huynh culture was discovered by French archaeologist M.Vinet in 1909, in Sa Huynh, Quang Ngai and the place name Sa Huynh was used to name this archaeological culture as Sa Huynh culture.

Since its discovery, international and Vietnamese scientists have devoted a lot of effort to researching Sa Huynh culture and Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi is one of the researchers who has made great contributions in explaining Sa Huynh culture. code for this brilliant, extremely mysterious culture. According to Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi, at the end of 1988, he approached French sources and felt strangely attracted to Sa Huynh culture and conducted research. "I wanted to do something to let people know more about this land. That motivation motivated us to start research, survey, and exploration" - Dr. Khoi shared.

After a long period of research and surveying the vestiges of Sa Huynh culture, Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi's valuable publications have attracted the attention of domestic and foreign archaeologists. He was assigned the task of presiding over exploration, excavation, and finding traces of Sa Huynh culture. From 1997 to 2009, many excavations took place along the waters of Sa Huynh, Ly Son, and then up to the Song Tang mountain area - Tra Bong district to search for cultural and historical values ​​related to the Sa Huynh people. old. Dr. Khoi has chaired nearly 10 excavations and found more than 10,000 artifacts related to Sa Huynh culture. In the exhibition space of the Sa Huynh Cultural Exhibition House in Quang Ngai, there are many artifacts of the Sa Huynh people from the Stone and Iron Ages that Dr. Khoi himself discovered. There are artifacts that he believes are very rare, the focus being the jewelry sets of Sa Huynh residents more than 2,000 years ago, found by him and his team.

More than 35 years is the time when Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi has devoted all his enthusiasm to the journey of researching Sa Huynh culture. He was also instrumental in discovering traces of Sa Huynh culture on Ly Son island. In 1996, during a business trip to Ly Son island , he accidentally discovered pottery pieces of the Sa Huynh people in An Vinh, Ly Son. With a keen eye for Sa Huynh culture, he and his colleagues carried out a large-scale excavation in 1997 on Ly Son island. This excavation was surprisingly successful when it found the double-buried remains and many artifacts of the Sa Huynh people in Oc hamlet, Ly Son. Dr. Khoi said, this set of double-buried remains is extremely special and was only found on Ly Son island. “It shows that the ancient Sa Huynh people not only lived along the coast but also expanded their residence to the islands and along the Central coast. What is precious is that the set of double-buried remains allows for a better understanding of the burial customs of the Sa Huynh people" - Dr. Khoi expressed.

Sa Huynh culture dreams of becoming a world cultural heritage

In 2009, Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi once again found traces of Sa Huynh culture on the mountain. This is considered a new discovery, proving that the ancient Sa Huynh people not only lived in coastal areas and islands but also lived prosperously in valleys along rivers in the mountains. The excavation in the Tang River valley, Nuoc Trong lake bed, Tra Bong district, Quang Ngai province, directly conducted by Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi since 2009 for 3 years, has discovered nearly 100 jar tombs. The excavation also found many traces of residence and many production tools made of stone, bronze, and iron belonging to the Sa Huynh and pre-Sa Huynh cultures. According to Dr. Khoi, the results from excavations in Nuoc Trong Lake are a gift that the Sa Huynh culture gave him in his archaeological life.

Dr. Khoi lived with the Sa Huynh culture to recreate the image of an ancient culture, hidden for thousands of years underground. Dr. Khoi confided: "My dream is that Sa Huynh culture becomes a world cultural heritage. Sa Huynh culture needs to be honored and that honor will give Sa Huynh culture greater importance.”