“This ancient currency may have been left by the attendants of King Gia Long when they passed through and decided to settle here. It could also belong to wealthy families from that era who had long resided in this area and stored it away…,” stated the Director of the Dong Thap Provincial Museum.
On the afternoon of November 12, the Dong Thap Provincial Museum collaborated with the People’s Committee of Chau Thanh District and relevant departments to excavate an ancient currency site at Nha Man Market in Tan Nhuan Dong Commune.
On the afternoon of November 11, workers digging drainage ditches in a residential area of Dong Thap discovered a box of ancient currency at a depth of nearly 2 meters, containing 11 bags of coins. Many coins were still legible, while some were worn and decayed.
The private construction company Tien Dung is managing a project covering an area of 36 hectares at the Nha Man Market residential area in Tan Binh Hamlet, Tan Dong Commune, Chau Thanh District. In addition to the box containing the ancient coins, workers also found two broken ancient bowls.
The project management board reported that many locals jumped in to grab the coins, causing four bags of coins to spill, leaving seven bags, estimated to weigh around 100 kg. The management board notified the Chau Thanh District Police and the Dong Thap Provincial Museum to come to the site to document and recover the seven bags of ancient coins and two ancient bowls for appraisal.
Initially, some workers and nearby residents were unaware of the value of the ancient coins, so they took hundreds of kilograms to sell as “scrap metal” for 6,000 VND per kg. By noon that day, the police from Tan Nhuan Dong Commune and Chau Thanh District were notified and documented the situation, temporarily seizing eight cement bags containing the ancient coins (mixed with soil).
During the excavation yesterday afternoon, the authorities found nearly one more bag of ancient coins; the total is approximately 500 kg (not counting some that local residents took and sold).
Mr. Tran Van Nam, Director of the Dong Thap Provincial Museum, stated: “We initially discovered two types of ancient coins made of lead and copper, dating back to the era of Kings Gia Long and Minh Mang. However, the reason why such a large quantity of coins was buried at Nha Man remains unknown. It may be that these ancient coins were left by the attendants of King Gia Long when they passed through and settled here. Alternatively, they could belong to wealthy families from that time who had long lived in this area and stored them away.”
According to experts, this is the first time Dong Thap has found ancient coins, and it is possible that the Nha Man area still holds many more hidden ancient coins.
Currently, all the ancient coins are being managed by the Dong Thap Museum.
