(photo: Chinhphu.vn)

Hundreds of antiquities from a 600-year-old sunken ship have been discovered by archaeologists in the coastal area of Binh Son district's Chau Thuan Bien commune, central Quang Ngai province.

Many of the objects, such as terracotta and porcelain jars, bowls and plates, have been recovered undamaged on June 4.

The 24m long and 5m wide vessel which may date back to the 14th century was found last September, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Museum of History, Nguyen Dinh Chien said.

He said many antiquities were from the Tran dynasty, making it one of the oldest discoveries in recent years.

Director of the province's Culture, Sport and Tourism Department Nguyen Dang Vu said workers were pumping water and sand out the shipwreck to expose the antiquities.

"We piled up steel panels to protect the ship and pump water out from inside. The excavation will last until July 4," Vu said.

He said all antiquities found in the shipwreck will store at the provincial museum.

The excavation of the shipwreck had to wait for six months due to bad weather.

Source: VNA