A discovery that will surely displease China, Vietnamese archaeologists have discovered Vietnamese ceramics on the disputed Spratly Islands.
Ancient Vietnamese artifacts found in Spratlys
Thanh Nien News, 28 September 2014
Vietnamese archaeologists have announced the discovery of ancient Vietnamese artifacts in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
Recent excavations in the archipelago — Spratly Island, Namyit Island, Pearson Reef, and Sand Cay — in June yielded Vietnamese pottery shards that dated back to between the 13th and 19th centuries, archaeologists said.
Bui Van Liem, deputy director of the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology, said: “The results of the June explorations strengthened those of our explorations in Truong Sa in 1993, 1994, and 1999. They prove that Vietnamese people operated in the archipelago in the past.”
“The artifacts contribute to support Vietnam’s assertion of sovereignty over the Truong Sa archipelago,” said Liem.
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