The tomb designs are typical of the Sa Huynh culture, dating back to over 2,000 years and popular from the central to southern regions, said Dr. Vu Quoc Hien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam History Museum.

The dead were buried with a number of personal belongings such as necklaces and earrings made of either glass or agate. Steel and ceramic objects were also found to further show that  the culture existed at the early stages of the Iron Age, said the senior archaeologist.

The Con Dai archaeological site in Huong Tra district, where these tombs were found, is the second of its kind in Thua Thien-Hue province, making it famous for pre-historic and early life of humans, he said.

The collection of artifacts found in the tombs will be displayed at the provincial Revolutionary History Museum later this year, said the museum staff.