VIETNAM, November 30, 2017 (Nhan Dan): An exhibition displaying over 300 ancient Oc Eo artefacts opened at the National Museum of Vietnamese History in Ho Chi Minh city on November 29 and is scheduled to run until March 3, 2018. Flourishing between the first and seventh century, Phu Nam Kingdom covered a large area of the southern plain and hosted the Oc Eo culture in An Giang Province. After remaining forgotten and buried for thousands of years, traces of Oc Eo culture were finally discovered in An Giang.
In 1944, French archaeologist Louis Malleret carried out excavations at the site, along with his colleagues from the French School of the Far East. They discovered objects offering proof of a flourishing civilisation and well-developed trade with other areas in Southeast Asia. The civilisation produced many handicrafts, including ceramics, as well as had the ability to refine copper, iron and tin, along with creating silver and gold jewelry. Also unearthed were statues and reliefs of Buddha and of Hindu Gods such as Ganesh and Vishnu, which illustrate the ancient religious traditions of the southern region.