Upgrade for Oc Eo relic site approved

The project will be carried out between now and 2020 at a total cost of more than VND6.74 billion (US$300,000) sourced from the local budget.  The construction aims to upgrade infrastructure for the special national relic and complete a dossier to submit to the UNESCO for recognition as a world cultural heritage. 

The 450ha Oc Eo relic is located in the area of Sap – Ba The Mountain, Thoai Son district. 

This is a well-known relic, first excavated by French archaeologist Louis Malleret in 1944, which is believed to have been a prosperous commercial port of the once-powerful Phu Nam kingdom 2,000 years ago. 

Artifacts found in this area are clear evidence of an advanced civilisation with developed arts and crafts including jewellery and pottery making. 

There were also a system of canals and various temples and tombs built with bricks and stones in this area, which were the combination of ancient civilisations in the region and the local culture.