Sa Huynh
A coastal town that named an Iron Age culture, and still makes salt in the same lagoon.
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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.
What you actually see
- 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.
Honest expectations
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.
What to pack for Sa Huynh
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.