An Giang preserves Oc Eo cultural relic values
Southern An Giang authorities have paid attention to preserving and promoting values of the Oc Eo special national cultural relic.
The province has hastened to complete infrastructure facilities for the relic, including electricity, clean water and drainage systems while building a showroom for antiques unearthed in the relic, facilitating local people and tourists to learn.
An official ceremony to announce the Prime Minister’s decision to recognise the special national status of the Oc Eo cultural relic will be held on September 26.
The 450ha Oc Eo relic is located in the area of Sap-Ba The Mountain, Thoai Son district, 40km from Long Xuyen city. 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.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has assigned the Vietnam Institute for Culture and Arts to make a dossier on Oc Eo-Ba The relic and submit it to UNESCO to seek recognition as the world cultural heritage site.