Sa Huynh

In 1909 a French customs officer found a large number of burial jars in the dunes near this village, and the culture identified from them - Sa Huynh, running from roughly a thousand years BC to the early centuries AD along the central coast - is now one of the three foundational prehistoric cultures of Vietnam alongside Dong Son and Oc Eo. Its distinguishing artefacts are the jar burials and the ear ornaments: the lingling-o, a slit ring in nephrite or glass, and the two-headed animal pendant, found from here across to the Philippines and Taiwan, showing sea contact. The salt fields on the lagoon are still worked.

Highlights

• Jar burials found in 1909 - which named the culture.
• Lingling-o ear ornaments - found as far as the Philippines and Taiwan.
• One of Vietnam's three founding cultures - with Dong Son and Oc Eo.
• Salt worked on the lagoon - as it has been for a long time.

When to go

February to August; salt is harvested in the dry months. Half a day.

Practical notes

There is little to see of the archaeology on the ground - the finds are in museums at Quang Ngai and elsewhere. The town is a working fishing and salt place. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Ly Son island is north by boat from Sa Ky; Quy Nhon is south.

Key facts