Large archaeological excavations to be conducted in Ninh Binh

The excavations are to be carried out on a total area of 600sq.m from September 15 to December 31 this year following a decision by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued recently on its website.

According to the decision, the ministry assigned Ninh Binh province's Department of Culture and Sports in coordination with the Institute of Archeology to unearth the two locations - a field south of King Le Dai Hanh Temple and a site near the wall of Thanh Den (Den Citadel) in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district.

Nguyen Ngoc Quy from the Institute of Archeology was assigned to preside over the excavations.

The ministry also said during the excavations, units granted licences to undertake the work should pay attention to protecting the stratigraphy of the relics and be responsible for disseminating information to local people about the protection of cultural heritage in the areas.

They should not announce any official archaeological conclusions or results without agreement from authorities and the Department of Cultural Heritage, it said.

"Artefacts collected during the excavation must be transferred to Ninh Binh Provincial Museum for protection and preservation. The provincial Department of Culture and Sports is responsible for receiving, managing, and reporting to the Minister of MoCST about plans to protect and promote the value of those artefacts," according to the ministerial decision.

After completing the excavation, the department and the Institute of Archeology must make a preliminary report and propose a plan for management and protection of the excavated area within a month and submit a scientific report within a year to the ministry, the decision said.

Translated by Nguyen Thuy