A 12-day excavation by experts from the Institute of Archaeology in Dong Van Park, Ha Giang Province revealed an enormous collection of rock items dating back more than 20,000 years ago.
The find was mostly accidental when a road construction at the park caused an erosion and exposed certain patterns which caught the archaeologists’ attention. Hundreds of crude stone tools in prehistoric beds and a cave were discovered. Some of the items found even showed signs of advanced grinding techniques.
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Half-fossilized shells were also found inside the Tham Ly Quyen Cave which gave the scientists important data about the ancient people’s diet. According to Dr. Trinh Nang Chung, one of the members of the institute, the excavation showed that Dong Van Park have limestone and sea creature fossils dating from the Tertiary Period, which is from 66 million to 2.58 million years ago. Moreover, the accidental discovery proved that there was human existence tens of thousands of years ago.
Because of the overwhelming find, Chung and his team will dig more into the area to hopefully find more evidence of life in the ancient times, this time undergoing a large-scale excavation and intensive study of the area. Dong Van Park’s rock plateau was hailed as a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2010. It is the only place in Vietnam and the second in Southeast Asia to receive such prestige.