The 2,000-year-old Cu Thach Hang Gon tomb in the southern province of Dong Nai was granted special national relic site status recently.                                                              

Additionally, Tran Bien Temple of Literature was granted national historic site status.

At the ceremony

Director of the Dong Nai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Kim Bang said the Cu Thach Hang Gon tomb in Hang Gon commune, Long Khanh town, is a single-chamber megalithic tomb with rare architecture.

It was discovered by French engineer Jean Bouchot in 1927 during the construction of the road connecting Long Khanh to Ba Ria. One year later, the site was listed in the list of “Indochina Tombs”.

In 1984, the Ministry of Culture ranked the tomb as a national relic site and one of the 10 significant relic sites in the southern region.

According to scientists, the tomb is unique in terms of artistic value and technique of ancient tribes in South Asia in general and ancient Vietnamese in particular.

The tomb is an underground chamber built with granite blocks and stone columns, weighing from 30 to 40 tonnes. It is rectangular and measures 4.2 metres in length and 2.7 metres in width and 1.6 metres in height.

Surrounding the tomb are many granite columns with heights of 7.5 metres shaped liked saddles.                                                                                               

According to experts, the tomb was dated back to between 150 BC and 24 AD.

Tran Bien Temple of Literature was built in 1715 in Binh Thanh and Tan Lai hamlets, Phuoc Chanh district, Tran Bien province, now Buu Long ward, Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province.

The temple was renovated in 1794 and 1852. The temple was destroyed in 1861 by French colonialists. The temple was reconstructed in 1998 to mark the 300th anniversary of Dong Nai-Bien Hoa establishment.

Covering an area of 15 hectares with lakes, garden of statues, new temple was designed to serve as a space for culture and education.

Source: VNA