VINH HUNG TOUR NAMENT ART STRUCTURE

Vinh Hung Ancient tower is located in Trung Hung 1B Hamlet, Vinh Hung A commune, Vinh Loi district, Bac Lieu province, about 20 km away from Bac Lieu city center. Following the National highway No.1A from Bac Lieu towards Ca Mau, after driving 5 kilometers visitors will reach Sap bridge; then turning towardsthe direction of Vinh Hung market, the visitors will reach Vinh Hung Ancienttower. Vinh Hung ancient tower is not only a towering architecture belonging tothe Oc – Eo culture that is left alone in the Southwest region but during theex cavation at Vinh Hung Ancient tower, archaeologists also obtained many valuable artifacts with many stones, bronze, ceramic, precious stones… markinga rather long period of existence and development (from the IV to the XIIIcentury AD) of the ancient tower of Vinh Hung.

The gate of Vinh Hung Ancient Tower

In 1911, French scholar Lunet de Lajonquiere discovered Vinh HungAncient Tower under the name Tra Long tower. In 1917, Henri Parmentiercame to survey this area and reported it in the journal of the School of theAncient Far East (BEFEO) under the name Luc Hien tower.

In 1990, archaeologists from the Institute ofSocial Sciences of Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City (now theInstitute of Sustainable Development for the Southern Region) in collaborationwith Minh Hai Provincial Museum came to survey and dug a survey hole,discovering several artifacts such as idol heads, civilizations, grindingtables, Linga – Yoni…Based on this, the Tower artifact was initially dated to the (VII-VIII) century AD, markingthe Oc Eo cultures final growth stage.

The towerhas a towering cylindrical block, the door facing wes

The Ministry of Culture, Information, and Sports (now the Ministryof Culture, Sports, and Tourism) decided to designate the Vinh Hung tower as anational monument in 1992 based on its architectural significance. In 2002 and2011, the Archaeological Research Center worked with the Bac Lieu ProvincialMuseum to excavate around the tower to disclose its base and address the issue toaid in the restoration and enrichment of the Vinh Hung tower relic. To restoreand adorn the tower to increase the towers worth as a monument, traces wereburied in the earth.

Numerous distinctive priceless items have been discovered throughexcavation (some artifacts are being kept at the Bac Lieu Provincial Museum andsome are displayed at the Vinh Hung Tower Relic Gallery). The Vinh Hung towerwas modified during several later periods (from the IV to the 13th century),which belonged to the ancient civilization Oc Eo and post-Oc Eo cultures. Thisinformation was gleaned from the findings of archaeological digs.

The tower is not like the Champa Towers in Central Vietnam, VinhHung tower was not built with a foundation step, built pillars, or fake columns,there was no vestige of decorative patterns outside as well as in front of thetower door, there are no false doors on the back and sides. And the rarer thingin the religious architecture of ancient cultures with Indian civilizationinfluence was that the tower door was built to the southwest instead of the east.

A set of Linga and Yoni represent yin and yang, heaven andearth in the ancient tower

Stones and bricks were used interlaced to build the foundation of theVinh Hung tower to prevent subsidence. The tower architecture was square inshape, with front and rear corners, and three symmetrical corners both in frontand back. Topographic maps, architectural materials, and ruins in daily lifeshow vestiges of material culture in Vinh Hung tower with cultural andtechnical nuances in the southern delta

If you have the opportunity to travel to Bac Lieu, don’t forget tospend time visiting Vinh Hung’s ancient tower to understand more about anancient civilization. The scenery here is very attractive. Beside the towerarchitecture, visitors can breathe in the fresh air filled with the scent offield flowers, and enjoy the vast and fertile fields.

According to Dr. Nguyen The Anh (Collected)