Severe coastal erosion caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi exposed a centuries-old shipwreck in Vietnam, providing a narrow window to salvage what experts say could be a historically significant find.
Initially discovered in 2023 off the coast of Hoi An, the at least 17.4m vessel – whose heavy wood-ribbed hull survived hundreds of years of rough seas almost perfectly intact – was resubmerged before authorities could reclaim it.
Experts have not yet dated the wreck, but preliminary findings suggest it was built between the 14th and 16th centuries – when Unesco-listed Hoi An was at the centre of a thriving regional trade in silk, ceramics and spices.
“We are currently preparing to apply for an emergency excavation (permit),” Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An Center for the Preservation of World Cultural Heritage, said yesterday after the wreck resurfaced following the passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi last week.
“The discovery of this ancient ship is clear evidence of Hoi An’s significant historical role in regional trade,” he said, adding more of the ship had been exposed this time.
A team of experts from the Hoi An preservation centre, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City and a local museum surveyed the wreck last year.
“The ship’s structure suggests that it was capable of long-distance voyages, likely used for maritime trade or naval operations,” the Hoi An centre said in an earlier statement.
The relic is at risk of “serious deterioration without immediate conservation actions” given the severe coastal erosion and the ship’s frequent exposure to harsh weather conditions, it said.
The wreck was still clearly visible yesterday, with crowds gathered on the beach to view its striking skeletal frame. — AFP
Ancient find: People looking at a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast.
— AFP
