Home construction in northern Vietnam unearths 13th-14th century relics

The discovery was confirmed by Hoang Van Cuong, deputy director of Ninh Binh Museum, in an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper on Monday. He said the museum had recovered and documented the historical relics, around 20 of which remain relatively intact.

The discovery was made on Sunday afternoon, when a local resident and several other households were probing the ground before foundation work. While checking his family's plot, the man encountered hard objects in an area spanning about 3 square meters. 

Suspecting something unusual, he immediately stopped the work and notified local authorities.

Preliminary assessments identified the objects, described as ceramic jars, as artifacts from the Tran Dynasty, dating to around the 13th and 14th centuries.

After receiving the report, Ninh Binh Museum sent staff to document the discovery and carry out the necessary procedures to safely excavate the relics.

The jars resemble traditional ceramic containers which may have served various purposes, including storing food, transporting goods, or holding cremated remains.

Cuong said no other artifacts were found at the site besides the ceramic jars. He added that the jars had been placed upside down in the ground and deliberately stacked on top of one another, suggesting the site may have once been used to store belongings.